#hazy about exact source

[frumpydress]

#ice cream #lollerskates #nom nom #hazy about exact source

[dduane]

In the Young Wizards 'verse, how would the universe handle two wizard-potentials going for the same manual at the same time, like reaching for the same book at the library? Would it somehow magically duplicate itself? Would it avoid the question entirely by waiting to choose the potentials until later? Would either (or both) of them get a notification of the manual installing itself as an app on their phones, thus distracting them from grabbing the book? (So many options!)

The Young Wizards series is one of my all-time favorites, by the way. Thank you for putting it into the world ❤️❤️ I need to reread it again soon!

First of all: thanks for the nice words! Delighted that the books were there for you. 😊

As to your question: I'm not sure this is a problem that's likely to come up, for an array of reasons that have to do with the basic nature of YW-'verse wizardry.

Basically, though: every wizard (like every other human, and every other sentient being) occupies a unique temporospatial position that doesn't just involve where they are, and when they are, but who they are; as well as where they've been, and what they've experienced. Different people, born in different places and raised in different ways by other different people, are inevitably going to have different personalities and different worldviews... and therefore, also, different preferred ways to engage with wizardry.* The chances that a given instrumentality offered to a given person is going to be an exact or even near-exact duplicate of the one offered to another person are pretty small. I don't think we need to worry too much about the two-hands-reaching-for-the-same-Manual-at-the-same-time paradigm.

Bear in mind also that there are a lot of different ways to get at Speech-based wizardly info besides books. Offered instrumentalities can vary wildly due not just to cultural norms, but personal preferences. Someone who likes stories but doesn't care for reading physical books might have their Manual turn up as an (apparent) audiobook. (Or maybe a podcast: or a videoblog: who am I to judge?) After all, we've already had wizards who manage spells or otherwise engage with wizardry by listening to the Sea, acquiring the Speech through sentient laptops, hearing it as in-mind speech which they manage by (probably somewhat Speech-enhanced) memory; by direct communications with the Powers that Be via an (apparent) little magical light source they carry around with them, and numerous other methods. (And don't forget the slightly unusual instrumentality that turns up in the YW 30-Day OTP sequence, in which one new probationary wizard obtains his Manual access via what appears to be Tuxedo Mask's rose from Sailor Moon.) ...Additionally, I have a vague memory of one wizard carrying around a Manual access that seems to be the one and only Magic 8-Ball featuring answers that are not hazy. Don't ask me which book it's in, though. Might be Games Wizards Play, but that's a guess.

As for app installations—no reason that Manual access might not turn up as an app update. Also, in terms of dedicated devices, wizPads and wizPhones (formerly wizPods) have been around for a while now, and both have become canonical over time: Darryl McAllister's using one of the wizPhone-based Manual versions in A Wizard of Mars. (Though these may occasionally present problems for practitioners testing out a new paradigm.) As a wizard grows into their practice of the Art, it's not at all unusual to change instrumentalities as one finds something that works better for them than what the Powers sent them the first time out.

Anyway: hope this helps! 😀

*As for the probably inevitable question, "But what if they're twins?" To quote a well-known authority, "It's never twins." :) (And that said: starting with Wizards at War, we see that occasionally, it is twins... and I'm pretty sure they acquired their delivery instrumentalities separately, though I can't recall whether this gets dealt with in canon.)

#Young Wizards meta #wizard's Manual #issues

[96percentdone]

This is maybe not worth making a whole post because it's mostly just like. Phrasing used in memes, but I do think all attempts to classify the horrorshow that is Somezuki Uru's whole life in like. A family with next level drama and toxicity fundamentally misunderstands the actual dynamics at play and the whole point of its inclusion.

Like. Okay. Shigure and Horadori are Jin's biological parents and had some emotional investment in him, at least historically. The exact nature of what their relationship was like is like. Extremely hazy, because Jin is not a well developed character in his own right with established opinions about either of them, and neither of them care about him NOW since his murder doesn't provoke grief in them and Shigure literally is raring to use this to reach Moksha, but it DOES establish they are, at least by blood, a family, and at one point both of them cared. Fine.

Where everyone loses me is positioning Uru as their son too, and therefore also Jin's brother. HE IS A KIDNAPPING VICTIM!!! HE WAS LITERALLY ABDUCTED IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT. As for Jin, once again, he's not a character in his own right because he's a mirror, so extrapolating they're brothers purely because Uru calls Shigure mom is like. What are you doing. What. I'm sorry, since when was Somezuki Uru, isolated torture victim who kills people and unironically thinks global genocide would make him a hero, a trustworthy source? Why are we taking his title for Shigure, which doesn't hold up even under the slightest amount of scrutiny, as like an inarguable truth about the nature of their relationship, and thus every relationship by extension?

Do you guys understand why Horadori went to child welfare places to find a kid to steal? Because orphans have no one who will care when they vanish. They are abandoned by the system. Somezuki Uru is an orphan by birth. His mother killed herself, and Sejima didn't even know he existed until Uru told him 30 YEARS AFTER SIRING HIM. He's never once had a family, but even before he was kidnapped, he was a child who wanted to be loved. He has always wanted it, but he's never known what it is, so Shigure pitying him might as well be the Mom he wanted.

Uru sees Shigure as his mother because of his two kidnappers, she pretends to care about him. She doesn't, at all, demonstrably, like the fact she did that to him and never once freed him is in and of itself proof, but he's alone in his literal TORTURE. She's not his mother; she's his kidnapper. She okayed the plan and helped carry it out, knowing that no one would miss him. The tragedy is that he is most desperate to be loved by someone who never will. He WANTS to be her son, longs to be loved in the way she clearly loves Jin, because he knows he is not.

They're not family. Somezuki Uru doesn't have one of those. That's the point.

#hope.txt #uru somezuki #jin furue #tokiko shigure #chikara horadori #ai nirvana initiative #aini #aitsf #ai the somnium files #ai the somniun files nirvana initiative #also like. for Jin again literally all we have to go off of about his relationship with Uru is Uru's undying loathing of him and like #once again why are we taking uru's opinions as the truth when we have exactly 0 reason to do so #my meta

[peaches2217]

Useless

TW: Dissociation, Implication of Trauma/PTSD

EDIT: AO3 link!

~~~

“Come back to me.”

This was the second time he was hearing it, Mario realized, that exact combination of sounds. He hadn’t understood it the first time. Heard it, but couldn’t process it. That was Peach’s voice, right? So those sounds were probably directed at him. Maybe?

“Come on,” she spoke again, “come back to me, darling.” Her voice conveyed urgency, yet it was soft all the same. Was she in distress? Where was she? He hoped she would say it again. Something in his chest fluttered at the sound of her voice. It tickled, come to think of it. Was that good or bad?

He tried to breathe, and he did a bit too well at it; it came in a deep, audible gasp, strong enough to drown that fluttery feeling. It kind of hurt, actually. He forced the air back out as quickly as he could and that almost made it better, but now his eyes were watering.

Bad, he decided. Definitely bad.

He blinked. Pink. His hands hovered over pink fabric, partially obscured. They looked strange. They were undoubtedly his hands, callused and hairy, but what was that attached to them? Peach whispered a few more sounds, but he couldn’t quite process them, and the attachments on his hands moved. The sensation was familiar enough, ingrained enough, that he recognized them as another set of hands. Peach’s hands, slender and soft.

Where were his gloves? He had been staring at his own hands for what must have been hours. He remembered, or at least he thought he remembered, her hands peeling back the upper layer of his skin. She had taken them off. She wasn’t wearing gloves either. It had always amazed him, how soft her skin was, how cool her hands felt within his. But now they felt oddly warm.

His right thumb stroked the back of her left hand. Some dull thought permeated the back of his skull, some mix of dread and surprise. His thumb barely moved, tracing an aimless line back and forth across her skin, yet his hand tensed and shook from the effort of moving it.

“Good,” Peach said, and her hands tightened around his fingers. “Squeeze back?”

He worried sometimes, worried that he might hurt her, worried he might forget his own strength at the worst times in the worst ways. So he did his best to follow her request as gently as possible. His fingers twitched. His thumbs pressed into her hands. A tingling sensation crawled up his arms and into his shoulders; the discomfort made him tighten his grasp, which made the unpleasant sensation spread.

“Good!” she repeated. The pink fabric shifted and her voice came nearer. “Very good. There you are.”

He pulled air in too quickly again, and all at once he was slammed back into his own body.

The weight of it was crushing, the numbness in his legs, the tingling in his arms, the ringing in his ears. He relaxed his grip on Peach’s hands and hunched over, shutting his eyes tightly. Dizzy. He was dizzy. The world was spinning around them, as though trying with all of its might to fling them apart, and the very thought of losing her made him groan with terror and grip onto her even harder.

She shushed him, a lone source of calm in the chaos that ensnared him. “Can you speak?” she asked. He could feel her now, her nose pressed into the top of his head, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her, kiss her deeply and endlessly until his feet felt solid on the ground again. 

But he couldn’t find the energy. He couldn’t lift his head, and he couldn’t pull her any closer, and he wasn’t even on his feet to begin with. He was sitting on his knees in some dark room not far from the meeting hall. She had pulled him in here and urged him into this position; the memory was hazy, but he remembered all the same.

What happened? he wanted to say. He knew what happened. Thinking about it just made the world spin faster. Maybe if he could hear it again from a voice that brought him nothing but comfort, it would stop, it would all go away. Maybe he would realize definitively just how stupid it was, how inconsequential the trigger for this episode, and that would snap him back to normal.

No sound came out when he opened his mouth. His eyes stung, and he grit his teeth against the unshed tears.

She let go of his hands and drew him in closer, and Mario couldn’t help but sigh in both shame and relief. Her sweet perfume washed over his senses and wrapped him in another layer of familiarity. 

“That’s okay,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to his hair. “It’s okay. We’re safe. Everything is alright.”

If everything was alright, then the great hero of the Mushroom Kingdom wouldn’t be crumpled in a quivering heap on the floor, unable to speak or even raise his chin. He couldn’t express his frustration properly, in words. All he could do was huff.

Peach shushed him again. Another kiss. “Here, lie down. You’ll feel better if you lie down.”

Mario wanted to protest. They had been in the middle of— they needed to get back to— there were people waiting on them, on her, because she had— because he was too weak to even open his eyes.

He nodded instead.

Letting her hands guide his motions, he collapsed heavily to the floor, curling into himself on instinct. Carpet. Not as plush as the carpets in the private chambers, a bit scratchy against his cheek. Peach’s fingers cupped the side of his head, lightly pressing upward; he somehow found the strength to lift his head and keep it there, just long enough for her to make whatever adjustments she needed.

A sound like a whimper escaped his throat as his cheek met silk. He was so disoriented he felt it in the pit of his stomach. He gulped and made a few more pathetic sounds, because he was almost certain he would vomit otherwise.

Fingers in his hair brought him back. He focused all of his attention on them: the gentle scrape of nails against his scalp, his curls bouncing back into place with each pass, the sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He was clammy, he realized for the first time. He was cold. 

His guardian angel’s voice cut through his shivering. She was giving more instructions, and he held to them like a lifeline — “…without us. Just take good notes and I’ll review them later. If you could bring us some water first? Thank you.”

These weren’t instructions for him. There was a world beyond these few square feet around them. She was willfully shunning that world for his sake. He willed himself to open his eyes, get himself together, go on about his day so she could go about hers because he wasn’t supposed to be dragging her down with him. He wasn’t supposed to be like this in the first place.

All he could see was pink. His head was in her lap. That knowledge sent a wave of solace crashing over him, intense enough that his breath caught in his throat and he began trembling uncontrollably once more. Or maybe he hadn't stopped trembling in the first place.

Pathetic. He was supposed to make her feel safe. He was truly pathetic.

“Stay with me,” Peach said, her urgency replaced with quiet tenderness. “Take your time. Rest. But stay with me.”

Gulping again, Mario nodded. This wasn’t right. His burdens shouldn’t be hers to bear. He shouldn’t be a burden, much less her burden. But for now, he was, and she had ordered him to stay. So he closed his eyes and focused on her fingers in his hair, steadying his breath and coming back little by little, back into full awareness of the world outside of him and her and all of his uselessness.

“You’re alright, Mario,” she soothed, and just for now, just until he was strong enough to cram his weaknesses back down so that they'd never bother anyone again, he let himself believe her.

#tw dissociation #tw ptsd #tw trauma #well! this is the single most self-indulgent thing I've written in a good while #and given self-indulgence is my specialty as a writer... that's saying something #but phew! this was cathartic. maybe a little ooc but hella cathartic #not to worry! fluff aplenty coming soon~ #super mario bros #smb #mario #princess peach #mareach #mario x peach #peaches' fancy fics

[purpleyin]

Time for an angsty many years post-Crooked Kingdom Kaz whump concept. More of a not!fic style but I hope it's still enjoyable🖤

all the nightmares I’ve had

Years after Kaz gets his revenge, Pekka Rollin's family is killed in a tragic accident. It has nothing to do with Kaz or the Crows but Pekka is convinced Kaz is responsible. Pekka is deep in his grief, reckless and has no fear for what he could lose any more, Inej's threats to himself forgotten. He surprises Kaz, and his touch aversion works against him, so Pekka does manage to take him down along with the help of some chemicals. Kaz had made progress on that, less guarded and covered up these days, but if there's one person guaranteed to take him right back to the barge mentally it's Pekka touching him. Pekka gets him into the coffin so easily after that, buries him six feet deep, but he doesn't just want to kill him. He sets up a way that Kaz won't run out of air down there. No, it will be dehydration that kills him as he slowly starves down there too. He's groggy from the drugs and injured from the scuffle with Pekka but he knows well enough he has no way out this time because it isn't locks he can pick that trap him, instead an oppressive mass of earth bearing down on him, gravity itself working against his escape. Even those who try to pull off such tricks as entertainment often die trying, so Kaz has no hope he can evade this when the circumstances here are designed to kill. As he comes back to more himself, the dawning reality is so much harder to deal with. Being left for dead is his worst nightmare happening all over again, despite that it isn't the barge, it's still too close. He won't call out via the spout in case Pekka is listening, waiting for him to beg - he won't give Pekka that satisfaction. Pekka won't have been foolish enough to bury Kaz where anyone else would overhear any cries for help anyway. Pekka's hubris is much the same as Kaz's was, abandoning the simple solution of a quick death because he wants him to suffer as long as possible, for it to be fitting. Just how long Kaz can last is partly a matter of willpower, how long he can remain calm and hang on to the will to live. Hope has never been something Kaz put much stock in but he clings to the hope that people will miss him, that they will care to look for him, that he will be found in time, not forgotten down here as he grows groggier again with lack of water. To distract himself, he stews on plans for his own revenge once he gets out of this, until it becomes too hard to think properly and the old fears creep back into his hazy mind. Water starts to seeps in from rain down the air spout, leaving him wet and cold and losing any remaining faith that he will get out of this nightmare. The Crows don't know Kaz is missing until the next day and they spend over a day searching the city until Jesper finally gets a feeling drawing him towards Black Veil island, hoping desperately that the incredibly rare mineral he's sensing there is indeed from Kaz's rather unique wedding ring Inej got him on her travels. They scour the cemetery for the exact source, silent as the grave once they find the freshly dug ground someone had tried to pack down harder, now sodden with the night's rain as well. Inej is the one to spot the strange pipe coming out of the ground. "He's still alive," she proclaims, and Jesper just hopes she's right about what it means. Inej starts scraping back soil in swathes with her knives, while the rest of them go to locate some metal Jesper can fashion into shovels. The time spent digging up that grave feels like the longest time of Jesper's life. When they pull Kaz - pale and wet and shaking but alive - from the coffin, Jesper is witness to the most public display of affection he's ever seen by Kaz and Inej. Kaz clings to Inej like she's his lifeline to the living, though Kaz is careful once again to not touch any skin. Jesper has to look away, giving them their privacy as best he can, until the moment passes and Inej turns to ask Wylan for the water bottle they brought along.

When Kaz seems a bit more focused, Inej asks “Pekka?” with her voice like a knife. “Pekka,” Kaz confirms sharply, but his eyes taking on a dark far away look, staring past them all in a way that worries Jesper. Inej leaves abruptly, with murder in her eyes, so it falls to Jesper and Wylan to cautiously help Kaz to the carriage. They're careful to keep their touches firmly over Jesper's coat that they help the shivering Kaz into, in case their proximity might trigger him like it used to. They go back to the mansion, setting Kaz up in the guest room they all know is really his anyhow. Kaz is quiet, no smart remarks and no refusal of the help they give, accepting any comfort they can provide him that isn't touch. Wylan brings up a pot of hot, very sugary tea and so much food. The tray placed on the side of the bed is laden with far more than he could possibly eat, but every item is a favourite of Kaz's; foods Kaz would deny caring one jot for but anyone observant enough would know to be true. Jesper waits by his side, wishing he could hug Kaz, however briefly, to feel him solid and safe in his arms, but he doesn't dare ask right now. Being there is hopefully enough. With Jesper watching over him, Kaz sleeps, curled up in the layers of soft, warm blankets they gave him that he'd normally scoff at and turn down.

When Kaz wakes, Jesper's heart skips a beat in anticipation as Kaz reaches out his hand as if to touch him, only for that hope to be dashed as Kaz snatches his hand back suddenly, not able to complete the intended action. Kaz scowls, looking down at the floor. But then he says something that surprises Jesper, “Thank you, Jes.” Kaz's gaze shifts to looking down at the bed covers as he says it, a discomfit evident in the tension of his shoulders and the tight grip of one hand on his other in his lap. “You don't need to thank me, you podge.” Jesper replies, exasperated but fondly said nevertheless. “This is what we do, we look out for one another.” Kaz simply nods and Jesper decides now is a good time to fetch more food and drink, to leave Kaz to his thoughts for a bit.

Inej comes back in the evening, her clothes freshly changed and the scent of the cleaner she uses on her knives trailing in her wake. She only says "It's done" to the room when she appears suddenly, no one needs to ask what. Then she climbs onto the bed with Kaz, prompting Jesper to quickly leave them be. The newspapers the next day don't show the gruesome detail of a man taken to pieces in a depiction of any sort for that would be far too improper, but they spare no words to describe the unexpected downfall of a once barrel boss practically forgotten and by now only remarkable in his manner of death. That morning, when they take up a tray of food and the paper, he sees Kaz smirk, for the first time since they rescued him, at the sight of the headline.

#six of crows #kaz brekker #angst #grishaverse #crooked kingdom #whump #hurt/comfort #soc fics #six of crows fanfic #purpleyin #purpleyin: fanfic #kanej #but it's more of a gen fic really #soc aus #not!fic #jesper fahey #inej ghafa #wylan van eck #pekka rollins #my kanej fanworks

[madaboutmunson]

Keep You From The Cold

First KIll (Prompt B1 )

Warnings: Vampire Eddie Munson, Blood and Gore, Gore, Serial Killers, Angst, Love, Fluff, Body Horror, Blood and Injury, Blood, Implied Sexual Content, Intimacy, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Word Count: 9,155 @eddiemunsonbingo

AO3 Link

Steve tastes delicious. 

No. 

Eddie scribbles it out in his brain. 

Steve is delectable. His blood tastes so good he must be descended from the bloodline of the gods themselves. If he could, it would be all Eddie would consume for the rest of his immortal life because he’s never tasted anything that was wholly satisfying and never enough, all in the exact rapturous moment. Maybe a Reese's peanut butter cup might be close from his mortal life, but in this life, the stuff that keeps Steve alive and Eddie functioning is his greatest addiction, or at least that’s what he thought.

Lately, he can feel something else that he yearns for, and for the longest time, he cannot explain it. It always happens when Steve is in a post-pleasure haze, and Eddie is feeding because those times are when he tastes so good it makes Eddie's eyes roll back into his head and sends heated shocks of pins and needles all over his usually wintry pallid body. As if he’s consuming Steve’s sensations for his own, and as those feelings flow through him like he’s radiating pure bliss from the inside out, he’ll hit that peak with a full body jolt that makes him unwillingly detach and throw his head back.

Then right there, both of them dumbfounded and hazy, the darkest want of Eddie’s creeps its way to the front of his mind. Infernal invisible voices hiss their forked tongues into his ears, whispering at him to do the unthinkable, begging him to keep going. Just a little more. It won’t hurt him. Eddie knows its lies as he looks down at his lover. No, not simply his lover, his love, his heart, his cosmos, his reason for staying and not walking out into the sunlight the first chance he gets, because of the mere thoughts that Steve will grow old and he will not, torturously flay what is left of his very soul to ribbons. But no matter how he feels for Steve or how hard he fights it every single time, the temptation is always there.

Part of him doesn’t want to feed from anyone else. It wouldn’t be the same, it would feel like being unfaithful almost, but Eddie wants to take more with each feed. The problem is Steve always lets him, and each time he can see, it takes longer for Steve to recover. He’s so tired these days.

So Eddie’s tried spreading out the feeds, but that only makes him more hungry, desperate and irresponsible when the time comes, and those agonisingly tempting demonic voices only get louder.

Eddie knows what they want, and he’s suspected for some time that it is more than immortality that is the catch to this whole vampire thing. He’d never want to tell Steve or anyone, for that matter, but he has a hunger for power and control that no humanoid should have. He desires to take something’s life. And that goes against the very core of who Eddie is, or maybe that should be, was. 

The only times Eddie had ever lashed out were in defence. He literally would not hurt a fly. Since he was a kid, Eddie was the bug-remover, self-appointed because he couldn't stand to see any of them get killed by a rogue newspaper, swatter or spray. Even when he’d been on the run, he only fought to survive, and even then, it wouldn’t have been to kill. It was simply to allow enough time to get away again.

The excuse he gives to Steve is that he’s concerned about feeding on him all the time. He should find other sources and save Steve for special occasions. It's a stupidly lame excuse, and at first, Steve protests, but then he ultimately buys it, but that's a pro to this vampire gig. The deception came easily, and people fell over themselves to believe you. He thought it might be some kind of subconscious hypnosis, but vampire lore was so varied it was difficult to know what to believe, and with no other fanged friends around to ask, it was very much reading plus trial and error. Even with a pile of excuses, it still feels wrong to deceive Steve, but the alternative is more than Eddie can bear. He can’t imagine the horror on his face if he told him the truth.

Eddie creates a code that allows him to eliminate only those whose absence could lead to a better world. He has a history of misjudging people, and being a vampire does not provide a clear distinction between good and bad people, only their current thoughts. 

The other thing about telepathy is people don’t always think linearly. Some people have a thought, and then another will jump in on that making an impossible garbled mess, like many voices talking at once. Like the time he was practising with Robin and all she needed to do was think of a colour, and she totally did, it was lilac, but then Eddie could hear everything else. How some people believed it was bad luck to bring indoors, or how the scent of it was intoxicating, like Nancy’s perfume, she was sure there might be lilac or violets in that, or how the god pan had chased a nymph who disguised herself as a lilac tree. Robin wished she could pursue her nymph through Ancient Greece and…

“Oh my god, stop! Stop thinking! Jesus H Christ, it’s lilac,” Eddie remembers whimpering in distress and immediately stomping over to Steve, who was washing up at the sink, for a reassuring hug, “It's fucking lilac,” Eddie mumbled buried between Steve’s shoulder blades, who instantly dropped what he was doing and turned around to comfort him in an embrace.

“Robin! What did you do?” Steve scolded as he stroked over Eddie’s newly impossibly soft hair.

“I thought of a colour, just like he asked me to,” she protested, and Eddie turned his head to look at her and frowned deeply. He thinks about it, exposing her secret crush on Nancy because the pain in his head from all the overlapping thoughts he’d just consumed was awful, but when they lock eyes, she realises and blinks nervously, and her eyes shift to Steve. So he doesn’t say a word about it. He just tries to unlink their minds as quickly as possible.

So Eddie needed to enlist help, someone who could point him in the right direction, and that’s how he’d found himself here in the night's still.

Eddie smooths down his clothes. He hasn’t gone too fancy. He just made himself palatable. A plain black T-shirt with no scary band name or imagery on it. A not yet ripped pair of black Levi’s that Steve got for him, and on account of the walk from the roadside, his black army surplus boots. He could check how he looks in the window reflection but doesn’t for two reasons, he can’t see it (so that little nugget of lore was correct), and he’s had it confirmed by Robin Buckley, non-man-eater herself, that he was now beautiful. 

He reaches out to knock at the door. It swings open with no one there, and Eddie steps inside. Calls out cautiously in the dimly lit living room, “Helloooooo, anyone home?” there is no reply for a few seconds until a face appears out of a door frame, nearly scaring him half to death, well, if he wasn’t technically dead already.

He smiles wide at the beaming face and curled hair of the girl in front of him and bows low, “Master Jedi Jane.”

“Pretty Dead Eddie,” She giggles, returns the bow and laughs as she disappears back into her room and re-emerges with some comic books.

Eddie flops down onto the sofa, “Where’s your Dad? I saw his car out front.”

“In the bathroom,” she nods towards it, copies Eddie’s flop down onto the sofa next to him, throws the comics in his lap, turns towards the bathroom, and yells, “Dad!! Eddie is here!!”

He’s probably not supposed to listen, but he heightens his hearing, anyway. An excellent vampire ability probably evolved for hunting, provided you remember deactivating it.

“God dammit, what the fuck do I need to do to take a shit in peace around here?” There is a shuffling of fabric and a flush, and then, “Now she’s invited Count Rockula in. He can just swan on in here any time he likes!” Eddie giggles, and Jane looks up at him with a big smile.

“You were spying!” She grins knowingly.

“Maybe,” Eddie says quietly with a big grin, “How could you tell?”

Jane cups her ear and makes a twitch motion, “Your ear moved, and you were staring straight at the door, not discreet,” she rolls her eyes.

Thoroughly charmed by her lack of apprehension around him and how far she’s come on the journey from lab experiment to superhero high schooler, he replies, “I’ll be sure to work on it,” chuckling he picks up the first comic and straight away Jane is raving about it in her earnest way. She was a great kid, he tried not to, but often he felt so sorry for her after everything she must have been through.

“Munson,” Hopper says casually with a nod whilst Jane sends a little frown his way, “Sorry, old habit. How are ya, Eddie? Things going ok with…” Hopper trails off a little.

“What with being undead? Yeah, it’s going ok. Well, there is this tiny thing I was hoping to speak to you about, actually.” Eddie gives a charming grin, which affects Hopper less than everyone else. Maybe he had vampire hunter blood or something? Eddie represses the urge to sniff the air to avoid freaking anyone out.

“And this couldn’t wait until tomorrow?” 

“Uh, it could, but, um, I’d be back here at exactly the same time tomorrow. This is the earliest I can venture out at the moment on account of the sun and all,” Eddie waves a hand gracefully through the air, the movement of which seems to capture the entirety of Hopper’s attention until he shakes it off.

“Ok, shoot,” he shrugs and folds his arms.

Eddie’s eyes cast to Jane for a second, “Sorry, master Jedi, I’d just rather you didn’t hear some of this. It’s unpleasant.” Her shoulders fall, and she looks disheartened. Gathering her comics, she heads back to her room, and Eddie knows it’s for the best but feels like a complete asshole excluding her.

Eddie tells Hopper everything, he’d pull punches, but he is desperate, and he knows the truth will get him further with this guy than any deception ever could. Obviously doesn’t tell him the intimate details, just the fact he only feeds from a willing Steve, but he’s worried about its effect on him, but also the effect on Eddie when he does feed.

Jim leans back, running his hands through his hair, “Shit, Eddie,” he looks him up and down, “So, how can I help? Are you asking me to be lunch? Because I don’t think Joyce would be ok with that. Honestly, I don’t think I’m ok with that!”

Eddie snorts out a laugh, “You’re quite safe from my Menu. I’ll just get to the point. Do you know of any persons around here that, I dunno,” he shrugs, “The world would be a better place without?” 

Hopper's eyes widen, “You want me to give you an execution list?”

“Well, now that’s a little dramatic,” Eddie tries to brush it off.

“Is it, though?” Hopper pushes further.

“I get how it sounds, but I can’t make that call myself. What if I make the wrong one? You know this place. You know the people that got away with things they shouldn’t. That’s why I came to ask you and not the bartender in town, like some D&D quest,” Eddie’s voice is a mix of desperate pleading and feigned confidence. He’s trying his best not to give into his baser instincts to hypnotise Hopper into just telling him.

“Eddie,” he waits until he’s looking him directly in the eyes, “You don’t want this on your conscience, believe me. And honestly, I don’t want this on mine either, maybe. What about blood bags from the hospital?”

“Yeah, because that’s so much better. Stealing from people who might need that to survive,” he snips. Doesn’t mean to. He’s just frustrated and getting hungry.

“Yep, you’re right. That was stupid,” he huffs and slaps his knees as he stands, “let me get back to you tomorrow, ok, kid?”

Eddie nods in thanks. It was better than a straight-up no, at least, and he takes Hopper’s standing as a sign to leave.

At the door, Eddie turns back, “Thanks, man, I know it’s a wild request, I just…I don’t wanna hurt anyone that doesn’t deserve it,” he looks up into Hopper’s eyes sadly and mainly mumbles, “Steve doesn’t deserve any more hurt, right? Even if he keeps offering.”

Hopper shakes his head, “I won’t say a word, and I will look into it for you. I promise!” He holds onto the door, “Say, is that whole invite into the house thing real?”

“Nah, I can go where I want, but I swear to never come into your home unless it’s an emergency or someone opens the door first, Hop,” Eddie means it too, and Hopper salutes him goodbye.

He leaves a little disappointed he doesn't have an obvious target, but Hopper would either come back with a name or something else he wouldn’t let him down. He hadn’t so far. Hasn't even tried to stake Eddie in his sleep or anything.

“Psst,” Eddie stops in his tracks and looks around towards the voice slowly and wide-eyed. It didn't matter that he could probably destroy most people that came at him. He was jumpy by nature. It would take a long time to unlearn it, “Eddie, I know you can hear me.” He pivots on his heel and runs far too quickly towards the voice.

“What are you doing out here in the middle of the night? This place could be full of creeps!” he says with alarm, looking seriously at Jane. Then he sees it, the red streak under her nose. He bites his lips together and pushes the primal hunger down, “You’ve been doing your own spying, I see? What listening against the door with a glass not good enough for you?” He offers her his arm, “Let's get you back home.”

She doesn't take it. Folds her arms and taps her foot, “You think there is a single person in Hawkins who I could not fight and win?”

Eddie considers this, “Well, now you mention it…. But, even so. Your dad would go crazy if he knew you were out here talking to me and not in your room where you should be!” He says in a stern parental-type voice he didn't know he had in him. Steve’s doing, no doubt.

She frowns deeply at Eddie, “I can help you. I know lots!”

Eddie looks sadly at the ground and has no doubt this poor kid knows enough bad people to feed Eddie for the rest of his life, but to put the gun in her hand is unfair. He didn't want her to blame herself for anything. He puts his hand up to touch her shoulder, thinks better of it and stops. Yeah, she could blast him into next week, but she’s still a teenage girl, “Listen, sweetheart, I appreciate it, but it’s complicated. The people at the lab. I know they’re bad and given the green light. I’d slay every last one of them for you, but it's all government bullshit, and honestly, I don't want them snooping around any of us ever again. Especially not you.” He hopes she can read his earnestness.

She searches his eyes, sighs, admitting defeat, and starts walking with him back to the house, “You know what though, Double J, I’m gonna ask Steve to make sure to get you something nice next time you all go get groceries, because even though I can’t accept your help. I’m really honoured you tried.” He clasps his hands to the centre of his chest and beams.

Jane stops dead in her tracks, “I know a bad man, Eddie.”

“I heard you first time, honey. I get it, you-” he steps forward, but she doesn't follow.

“Eddie, I know a bad man that wanted to hurt Steve,” He doesn't mean to, but Eddie’s head snaps around so fast at the words it makes Jane flinch. He blinks quickly and tries to shake off whatever that was, “At the store. The bad man is at the store. He puts sugar packets in the drinks and hurts people. He wants to hurt Steve.” Eddie blinks rapidly now, trying to put any of this together in his head, “He talks to us for too long. He grabs Steve sometimes.” She reaches out, grips the back of his upper arm, and lets go.

The first thing he feels is the plummeting of his stomach, then the hard stretch of his mouth into a sneer, his hands balled into tight fists, and it feels a lot like normal jealousy or anger. That is until a white-hot heat of pure rage surges through his body. Then he hears them. Those voices in his ear. Not Steve. Our Steve. He’s ours. Only ours. It feels like the entirety of his insides are twisting and squeezing against one another to the point of rupture, letting the venom spill until it saturates every part of him.

“Who is he?” Eddie says in a voice he doesn't recognise, “Where is this fiend?” he tilts his head in an unnatural snapping motion, and Jane looks a little scared with her hand slightly raised in front of her.

“I can find him. I just need to go inside.” She says a little shakily.

“No searching!” Eddie snaps, “You will bleed!” He’s almost scaring himself, he doesn't feel in control, but he is. His voice isn’t his. He’d never snap at Jane like this. It’s like he’s in the passenger seat and is reaching over, barely getting his fingers to the controls. “Show me him. Show me what you know,” he growls.

Eddie uses his powers to see what Jane knows; clear as day, he can see through her eyes. She and Steve are at the store. He’s talking about the importance of a nutritious breakfast and that she can’t live on waffles alone. Her eyes snap to the end of the aisle to a man, not that much older than himself, taller, kinda plain looking, but he holds himself oddly. As Steve reaches up for something on the top shelf, the guy swoops in and hands Steve the box. He’s chatting away, pushing up the glasses that are sliding down his nose, and though Jane might not be able to tell, Eddie certainly can tell exactly why this guy is looking Steve up and down like that. 

He can feel the fear in Jane. He can feel her charging herself up to use her power against this guy. To get him away from Steve, but she’s looking around. She's scared too. 

Then his hand pats Steve’s arm.

A fresh batch of fury pulses through his body like his skeleton wants to explode out of its flesh prison, and all the while, those inner voices are chanting, ‘He’s ours.’ 

Steve pulls his arm away sharply, glares at the guy, and turns back to Jane, busying her out of the aisle.

Then Eddie sees, well, nothing. It's completely dark here, save for glints of light off something on the floor. Then the guy comes back into view, sitting on a stool beside a bar. It's crowded with people, but the bar and its seats are isolated. The place has no walls, roof, floor, or anything else, just like a solitary stage set in a space devoid of anything else. He tips something into one drink and hands it to the unsuspecting guy next to him.

It goes dark again.

But Eddie can hear it, the sawing. He can see the back of the man hunched over a bathtub that is finely sprayed in red, and then he holds it up, the head of the guy at the bar.

He’s seen enough. 

The urgency still surges through him, but he feels more himself, and Jane doesn't look so scared now.

“Hey, I’m sorry about that. I did not mean to scare you, ok? I never want to do that.” Eddie says, crouching a little, making himself smaller than her.

“That is ok. I understand. Sometimes the anger is too big. It cannot stay inside.” She says softly, empathetically, even if her words are blocky and stiff.

“Is that why you always ask to go to the store with Steve? Because of this man?” Eddie asks, trying his best not to spit out the word man because this vile excuse for a creature makes the bile rise in him without effort.

Jane nods, and he curses his past self for getting annoyed that this kid, who had been through so much, kept calling his house every day to see if Steve was going shopping. He thought it was just because Steve could be a bit of a pushover with certain kids, and he’d spoil her, and all this time, she was protecting him. He can’t tell Steve, but if he did, he’s certain he’d pinch the bridge of his nose and leave the room to do some chore that didn’t need doing.

Eddie smiles carefully. “Listen to me, whatever happens. I chose this, not you. You understand me?” She nods, and Eddie mirrors it to seal the pact. “Enormous and contained.” He says but is met with confusion. “A word for too big could be enormous, and when something can’t stay inside something, it cannot be contained.” She blinks a few times and smiles up at him.

“Got it,” she says as he walks her back to the house. They stop just under her window. Eddie studies her face. A concern wells up in him.

“Do not spy on me tonight. Promise me.”

“I promise.” She says back, and he has to trust that.

“Need a boost up to the window?” He says, dropping his hands in front of him for her to step into. She laughs quietly and steps in, wriggling back through her window into her room, “Be good.” he points at her and smirks. She’s a teenager, she's not supposed to behave, but he knows it's the right thing to say.

“Be careful.” She says as her eyebrows push together, and she waves him goodbye.

Eddie makes quick work of tracking this guy down. There is no grey area here. This guy was evil incarnate. He has to go, and Eddie could do that. Needed to do that. 

He figures he doesn't have to worry too much about wearing himself out tonight because he is gonna feast on this monster, and there was something about knowing that and the fact he was ridding the world of someone terrible that excites him.

As the van pulls up outside the supermarket. Eddie mists his way inside the office and gets the details he needs. Heads directly for the address, does not pass go, does not collect $200, and does not call Steve, even though he knows he really should. He’d be worried. He’d let future Eddie deal with an annoyed boyfriend. Besides, he didn't have the brain space right now to develop a good cover story.

He gets to the apartment complex and, with no time to waste, again uses his mist form to bypass being buzzed in and up by the door. He could easily sneak under the door and attack the guy, but he wanted to savour his revenge.

He knocks politely, but his insides are bubbling with hostility.

The door opens enough for him to make out a sliver of the guy, who, of course, has put the chain across. He, of all people, knows how dangerous it is out there.

“Oh shit. Sorry, man.” Eddie looks away with a laugh before leaning his hand against the door frame and leaning in a little. “I was looking for Joey? Is he here?”

He watches the man slowly push up his spectacles and trail his eyes over Eddie. The simmering disgust within him threatens to boil over, but he stays in character. Returns the ocular assessment, undeniably licks over his bottom lip, and tilts his head with a smirk. “Or maybe I don’t need to find Joey so quickly?” He runs his slightly lengthened fingernails in a caress down the door frame, then turns his eyes back to the slice of a man and raises an eyebrow. “Are you looking for company this evening?” He locks eyes, or rather eye, with the guy. He’s not been brave enough to take the chain off yet. Eddie takes a hand out of his pocket and runs it down his own abdomen slowly until he can hook a thumb behind his belt buckle, tugging it down slightly.

If he has to, he'll use his powers to get in, but he’d rather not waste any further energy at this point when he just wants to utilise it all to tear this thing apart. Eddie tuts, goes to move away, and he hears the chain move hurriedly. The guy holds the door open wide, Eddie swings a stride in and he locks the door behind him.

The place is at odds with itself, much like the man who lived here, the unassuming-looking homicidal maniac. It is weirdly tidy, like a picture out of a furniture catalogue, but there is no fake plastic merriment of models here. Just dingy lighting and the most odious smell.

Eddie takes a stroll around and pretends to be impressed. “Nice place you got here….” he lets the pause hang in the air and looks encouragingly over to him.

“A-Andrew,” he flusters a little, “You wanna drink? I got beers in the fridge or some bourbon?”

“Nice to meet you, Andy,” Eddie grins as he flops down onto the sofa. “Sure, why the hell not? I'm sure one little drink won't hurt, bourbon on the rocks,” he work-laughs, knowing full well that all it would take is one drink. He’s not sure if he would be immune to that stuff or not, but he’s not about to test it out now.

Eddie checks his watch. He’d be home from Hopper’s by now. Steve would know that. He doesn't have time to drag this out.

Andy is back not a minute later with their drinks and sits down right next to Eddie, which he acknowledges as an extremely bold move for someone as nervous as he appeared to be moments ago.

“I didn't get your name?” Andy asks, as his eyes zig-zag all over Eddie.

Eddie leans close to his ear, draping an arm around him, “I think you know my boyfriend,” he purrs as he glides the cold glass slowly down Andy’s cheek.

“F-figures you’d have a boyfriend,” he looks slightly disappointed, “I don’t know many guys. I'm-meet ‘em once in a club, and then they just vanish on me, ya know?” 

Eddie is glad he’s so close right now because he’s not entirely sure he has the capacity to hide the ire on his face at that comment. He takes a second to let the fires in him die down a little, “Is that what you’re looking for, Andy? A boyfriend?” he croons in his ear.

“Yeah. Course. Love, ya know, someone that won’t leave ya,” his voice is drowsy, almost like he’d drugged himself, but Eddie knows it's just their proximity affecting him. Andy’s hand reaches for a strand of Eddie’s hair and curls it around his finger, and it takes all of his resistance not to hiss at this guy and rip his hand off, but he stills because he wants this guy to know. He wants this guy’s last thoughts to be, I should never have fucked around with that guy in the store, and Eddie hopes for Andy there is an afterlife where he can tell all the fiery demons of hell, whatever house he haunts, whatever bug he returns as or wherever he ends up, that no one messes with Steve Harrington, “Where do I know your boyfriend from? Is it Joey? Cus I don't know a Joey, and I’ve lived here a real long time.”

“No,” Eddie says innocently, “You know him from the store you work at,” he brushes Andy’s hair away from his neck and rubs the tip of his nose against it accidentally when he leans in to smell his blood as it pumps faster through the vessels there.

“You know I work at the store?” Eddie feels the guy bristle, “I don't know any guys there, apart from the ones I work with, and they’re all s-s-straight,” he stutters over his words as Eddie lets the tip of his tongue seek out to taste the perfect puncture point.

“Sure you do, Andy Pandy, sure you know my guy,” Eddie whispers, “He’s really pretty, tall, strong looking. Great ass,” Eddie sucks in a breath through his teeth. He can almost see the artery and vein pulsing under there, snuggled up together, ripe for the taking. He ghosts a breath over where his tongue touched his flesh and feels Andy shudder against him, “You couldn’t miss him. He’s beautiful.”

A stuttered breath leaves Andy before his words do, and it only makes Eddie want to rip him limb from limb more, “Oh god, yeah, I know that guy, comes in with a girl, buys a lot of waffles. I always help him get that real expensive muesli off the top shelf. He can n-never quite get it,” Eddie hums and runs the cool glass along his prey’s jaw.

“Bet he tries really hard though, doesn’t he, Andy, huh? Bet he reaches up so high, stretches out those long elegant fingers of his, and his little sweater rides up an inch or two, doesn’t it?” Eddie’s hushed voice spills over his pouted lips that almost ghost against his throat. He hears a deep groan spill from the man beside him as he nods shakily.

“He does, yeah, every time,” he’s almost panting. It’s disgusting, but Eddie continues to play along and murmurs in agreement. “You-you aren’t mad I look at your boyfriend like th-that?” he asks as he slides a hand onto Eddie’s thigh.

“Do I look mad to you, Andy?” Eddie says, bumping his nose against his neck. He feels him shake his head in a no, “It’d be real hypocritical if I got mad about that now, wouldn't it? I’m just the same, really, apart from a few things, obviously.” Eddie nips at his neck, but the guy hardly flinches, just a tiny jolt of surprise, but his pulse says differently. He’s very excited.

“Oh? What things are they?” Andy asks, but Eddie ignores the question.

“You a screamer, Dee? Are you loud?” Eddie asks, flicking his tongue against the skin again.

“No. But I-I could be. If you want that?” Eddie presses his lips against his neck to let his canines innocently graze over the area again.

“Of course, I wanna hear you scream for me, but we don’t want any of your neighbours listening in, do we?” 

“They won't hear me. I soundproofed most of this place. They don’t hear me when I’m working on stuff.” 

“They don't? Well, that's good because I definitely wanna hear everything spill out of you. Every. Last. Drop,” Eddie drags out his raspy unhurried words into his ear, finalising with a pop on the ‘p’.

“You haven't even tried your drink. It's pretty nice stuff. For the price anyways,” Eddie’s eyes narrow at this guy’s lacklustre attempt at becoming the hunter here, and it is enough for Eddie to be bored of playing with his food.

Eddie fakes a sigh and clambers into his lap, “Oh, how positively rude of me. You’re quite right. I haven't tried it,” Eddie rotates the cool glass in his fingertips and can see the slight foaming at the surface of the alcohol. It makes him think about all the guys that wouldn’t have spotted this, who didn’t know what a fucked up freak this guy was, who innocently sipped on this drink to be polite and ended up dismembered, but who knows what else in between. 

Eddie drops his facade, narrows his eyes, and stares Andy down, “Why don't you give it a try?” he smirks before sending the glass crashing into the side of Andy’s head with such force it smashes to shards that embed into the side of his face. He tries to push Eddie away, but he can’t, but he tries, he really tries. Eddie lets out a low chuckle, letting him try to push him away, almost letting him think he succeeded twice, but then pushes him back down easily.

He throws a few punches, but Eddie has already been building himself up for this the whole time they’ve been sitting here, so it’s almost like he just absorbs them as he smiles down at him.

“What the hell, man? What the fuck did you do to my face?” Andy struggles with his words and to get free.

“Oh, no,” Eddie mocks him with a pout, “Doesn’t feel so good when you’re the helpless one, does it, Andrew?” 

“Get off me, you fucking freak,” Andy pushes hard against Eddie’s chest, and he simply grins down at him and leans down harder until his forearms snap, and for a moment, there is a stunned silence as his hands are now rendered useless, followed by a piercing scream of pure terror.

As the shrill noise hits his ears, an entire wave of pleasure rushes over him. Fuck. That felt so damn good. Eddie lets out a guttural grunt. Not the same kind of good as when he feeds usually. It's different. The voices are quiet. Eerily quiet. Almost like they know something he doesn't.

“Don’t struggle now, Squealer. Just lie back and take it like a man,” Eddie cackles at his sick joke before grabbing the hair on Andy’s head and pulling it sharply to the side to expose the hiding place of his two new best friends. He hardly ever feeds from Steve here, near here, sure, but never exactly here. For fear of something going wrong, but tonight, wrong is precisely how he wanted this to go for Andy here.

He stretches his jaw out wide. It feels like it's almost about to dislocate before he rushes forward and slams his fangs into the flesh. Bites down until they meet again and wrenches his head backwards with delight, spitting out the chunk of human and leaving a fine spray of red mist up the wall and the table lamp.

He doesn't waste much time sinking his teeth back in and gorging himself on the sweet red nectar spilling and spurting out of his conquest. His screams are whimpers now, hushed, pointless and devoid of hope. There is no escape for this wretch. His fun is at an end.

Eddie feels that rush coming, the point that usually forces him off, but there is no love here, only abhorrence, and he almost feels himself leap the hurdle that generally takes him out of the game completely.

He feels the body beneath him judder and shake, and he thinks it's Andy’s last-ditch attempt at life until he realises he’s ragging on his neck like a Pitbull with a chew toy. Then he feels an urgency. A desperation to suck and bite down, as if he was trying to remove this guy’s spine through inhalation alone. His cheeks hollow, and his grip on the body beneath him crushes the bones it has settled on. 

Then it happens. It feels like a warm glow enters his mouth, travels down his gullet, and settles into his stomach. Nestled in there like a little dormouse, curled up, all quaint and adorable, a stark contrast to the visual aspect of this moment, blood, death, torn flesh, crushed bones and last breaths.

This guy was not good, he was evil, yet Eddie has managed to extract something innocent and precious from him, and the word fills his mind. Soul. 

He has consumed this guy's soul, and it feels so overwhelming that Eddie almost cries himself as he lets go and rocks back onto the knees of the corpse beneath him. The warm glow within him thrums. It oscillates in size like it's breathing until there is a popping sensation, and Eddie thinks something is very wrong. He staggers to his feet as whatever it is spreads throughout him. He feels a pain in his back and feels overheated, unbearably so. 

He hurriedly removes his jacket as excruciating pain runs in two strips on either side of his spine, making him fall to his knees, Eddie claws at his hair as it feels like a million bugs scurry beneath his skin, and the searing ache continues its relentless persecution.

He folds to the floor, the smell of bleach in his nostrils and droplets of blood spill from his eyes, and as the pain hits its peak, Eddie feels nothing. Only hears the tearing of fabric, and a vast shadow cascades over him.

He feels afraid of what might have burst out of him. What terribly monstrosity had formed from feeding on this vessel of pure evil. 

Eddie can feel something there but tries to shake it off. It doesn't budge; he reaches behind his back to grab at it, freezing immediately when his fingers get to the root of it, turning his head a little as he does.

Nothing has budded from Eddie, and there is no other demon, creature, or otherwise lurking behind him. What he finds in its place is entirely unexpected. 

Wings. A set of leathery but delicately scaffolded wings. The colour faded from the flesh on his back to a mottled grey, burgundy and abstract black arrangement. He gasps and should be horrified, but he is in awe and adores them.

This might take a lot more explaining than simply being late.

After figuring out the basics of folding these things away out of sight and spreading them back out, Eddie tried to make the scene look as accidental as possible and headed home.

It was late, and the drive was pretty peaceful, which honestly was awful. He could have done with some sub-par road users to fill his mind with insults because this quiet left him with the same stupid thought. 

I should be more bothered by taking another life.

Scarily, he wasn’t. The logical thought path was there, but there was no emotion to it, making him feel hideous. Is this what he was to become now? Unfeeling? Cruel? Violent? A monster?

He pulls up outside the house and sneaks in quietly, using his powers instead of his keys. He feels fully charged enough. Like he might not need to eat for the next week or something, maybe longer, or at least he hopes so.

He is not a step into the living room when a lamp flicks on, “And just where have you been?” Steve’s voice is stern.

“I told you, I went to Hopper’s, and then I went to see if I could find something to eat,” Eddie tries to keep to the truth. He doesn’t want to lie to Steve, but he also doesn’t want to burden him with any of this.

Steve is out of the armchair and turns towards him but keeps his distance. One hand at his hip the other twisted so he can look at his watch for effect. It would be far too dark for him to see the face of it in the low light.

Eddie offers a small smile and moves towards him, but Steve steps back and raises a hand out to stop him. He wants them to be apart, and that realisation is almost enough to make Eddie panic. Ouch. Not once since they got together has this happened. Not when either of them were sick, sweaty, smelly, gross, grubby or annoying the hell out of one another. There had never been a reason good enough for them to not accept the other until now.

“It doesn’t take nearly five hours to do that, Eddie. So I’ll ask you again, where have you been?” Eddie goes to speak, and Steve quickly raises a finger, “No powers, no lies!”

Eddie attempts to deflect, “Could you keep your voice down at least? You’ll wake Robin,” he folds his arms as if to bolster this weak attempt at being annoyed.

Steve cups his hands to his mouth and bellows, “ROBIN ISN'T HERE TONIGHT. SO I CAN BE AS LOUD AS I FUCKING WELL WANT!” his hands go back to his hips as he sets his jaw, and his tongue pushes along the inside of his lip in annoyance.

“Can we talk about this tomorrow?” Eddie tries something else, ducks his head to avoid Steve’s eyes and out of pure shame of what he might have become tonight. He walks past Steve towards the stairs and gently brushes his arm to take it. The usual indicator that Eddie wanted him to join him. Steve pulls his arm away sharply, and it feels like a stab to his heart, so he keeps walking to the stairs until he hears a soft thud and a sniffle.

Eddie looks over his shoulder, even though the pure dread in his stomach is urging him to keep walking and not look at what he’s done. Steve isn’t pinching the bridge of his nose or walking away into another room to hide it. He’s down to his knees on the floor with his face in his hands and really crying. His body shakes with each hiccup noise that leaves him, and Eddie can’t bear it.

He rushes down the stairs, skids to his knees to take hold of Steve’s hands to pull them away from his face, and by some miracle, Steve doesn’t pull away. He just looks up at Eddie with those big beautiful eyes filled with tears, and it makes him feel like the very shit on the shoe of the scum of the earth.

With his hands out of the way, Eddie uses his own to hold Steve’s face, his thumbs desperately trying to wipe away the torrent of tears. He wants to say something, but the words won’t come, but Steve beats him to the punch.

“Were they better than me? Is that why you were so long?” Steve manages through intermittent sobs.

Eddie closes his eyes slowly in realisation, and he almost wants to punch himself in the face with how mad he is that Steve has probably been thinking about all sorts of gut-wrenching scenarios for the last few hours, all by himself.

“No, sweetheart. No! Never!” As he ducks his head down to capture his attention again, he says, “It wasn't like that at all. I swear.” He throws his arms around him and grips him tightly. Kisses his face and hair so many times he loses count like it could be the last time because it might be because right there, he resolves to tell Steve everything. 

Eddie guides him to his feet and seats them both on the sofa. He holds and soothes Steve until he calms down until he’s no longer a limp weight in his arms.

“I didn't do what you think. I would honestly rather starve to death and disintegrate to fucking dust than do that to you,” Eddie tries again to hammer that home as they both sit up and then he creates a little space between them. It is barely a foot away but it might as well be the Mariana Trench.

He’s still tightly gripping Steve’s hand between them like it’s his last tether to all of this. He swallows hard, pats the back of it, and moves away. With his eyes still on their hands, he reconfirms, “I didn’t cheat on you. I didn’t prefer it. It wasn’t like what we do, not even close,” then raises his eyes to Steve’s red-rimmed ones, “But I did do something terrible, and now I think-I think I’m bad, Steve, like evil, a monster.” He sees Steve's fingers twitch toward his own, and then they settle back on the seat cushion.

“Can you tell me? Please?” Steve asks quietly.

“I’m scared. I’m scared you’ll go, and I know that's selfish as shit. I know you aren’t a thing I can just keep,“ Eddie looks to the ceiling for help, as a tear he can’t restrain drops from his eye, “You deserve to know. To make your own choice.”

“You’re right. I do.” Steve says gently, and though the fear coursing through him is worse than anything he’s ever felt, worse than a swarm of demobats, worse than seeing Chrissy snap to pieces on his ceiling, he tells Steve everything. The feelings he had when he was only feeding on Steve, the talk he had with Hopper and Jane, how angry and possessive he felt, how he got into that guy's home, how he’d lured the guy in, the feeding, the soul, the wings, all the stuff he found in the guy’s apartment afterwards, and how on the way home he didn't feel remorse for ending that guy, not one bit, even though he knew he should.

“I’m a monster now, Steve. The darkness is just spreading in me, you know? I should feel bad, shouldn’t I? I killed something!” Eddie drags his hand down his face and corrects himself, “I killed someone. Good or bad. I took their life. You know? What if it gets worse? What if all this evil just keeps spreading? Until I’m as bad as that guy, or worse?” Eddie doesn't look at him when he’s finished spilling his guts. He doesn't want Steve to stay out of sympathy. There is a long silence. It feels like forever, but in reality, it's probably only seconds, but everything already feels so cold and distant.

He hears Steve take a deep breath. It has a slight shudder to it, and Eddie expects the worst, “I don't want you to be kind about this, Steve, ok? Don’t lie to me. I can go. I would never hurt you or anyone we care about just because we can’t be together. Just be honest, and we’ll go from there, yeah?” He ensures his words are careful and gentle. Though he could roar with the pain of his heart being torn asunder, he’s proud that at least this is the best thing he can do. Assure Steve he has a safe get-out-of-jail-free card, and Eddie won't darken his or anyone around here’s doorway again.

“You want me to be completely honest?” Steve asks.

Eddie nods repeatedly, his eyes fixed on the floor, “Yes. Be honest.”

He feels Steve’s hand at his jaw, and he’s turned to face him, but Eddie struggles to look Steve in the eyes until he speaks, “Can I see them?”

“What?” Eddie says in surprise, almost double takes, if not for being held in Steve’s hand.

“Your wings, can I see them?” Steve says again, and there is the tiny crumb of a laugh that Eddie's heart gorges itself on, like its ambrosia of the gods. He nods, standing up quickly; Steve follows suit, leaving them some room. As Eddie removes his jacket and shirt, Steve looks wide-eyed when he sees how blood-stained it is on the front and back, but Eddie continues.

“Ok, bear with me. I’m still new at this,” he says, rolling his shoulders and squeezing his eyes shut as he keeps his mind focused on the wings. He feels them pierce through the fresh scabs that have already started forming, that he hopes will eventually scar so it’s not this fucking painful every time. Then once he feels the tip glide down the small of his back to a stop, he knows they are entirely out and slowly unfurls them, steps back a little to not knock the lamp over or rip the sofa.

He hears a gasp from Steve and shuts his eyes again because he’s just not ready to see the horror on his face. He can hear Steve’s breathing, he’s so close, and then he feels the strangest sensation, and it causes him to look.

Steve is looking over his wings, his beautiful mouth slightly parted, and his fingertips are reaching out to touch the webbing of them, so very gently, and then across the more structural parts, which Eddie isn’t sure if it's bone or cartilage or what they were made from.

“Wow,” Steve says in absolute awe as he traces over them, “Jesus, Eddie,” he says slowly with reverence.

Eddie huffs, “Pretty fucking creepy, huh?” 

Steve’s head snaps to him with a frown like the time, he said that he didn't get all the hype around that new Kenny Loggins song.

Eddie raises his eyebrows, “Not…creepy then?” he tries.

“They’re beautiful, Eddie,” he says with a raise of his eyebrows that Eddie recognises easily. It’s the same face he pulls when he needs someone to really comprehend him.

“You think wings are beautiful?” Eddie tries to understand.

“No. I think these wings are beautiful.” The tenderness in Steve’s voice matches his touch as he reaches out to caress the other, which, oddly, Eddie had got the distinct impression felt left out. But it was a fucking wing. How could it feel left out?

“What? The colours? Thought it’d be a bit goth for you,” Eddie says, confused but feeling slightly better. Steve walks right up to him, puts his arms around his waist, and pulls him close.

“No, idiot, because they’re yours!” Steve says with a half-smile, that might as well have shot Eddie dead right there and then. Steve’s warmth against him feels so good, like when he’d get in front of the electric heater at home after doing the rounds in his ice block of a van in the dead of winter. Where they touch heats first, but then it spreads throughout him, dispersing the usual coldness in his undead self. He wraps his arms around him in response, sighing as he rests his head against his. 

“No more secrets, yeah?” Steve says in his ear.

“You had secrets, too,” he replies quickly like it was even on the same level.

“You’re right. I guess I just didn't want to make you feel helpless because you can’t come with me during the day when I go with El, who I will also have words with,” he's trying to sound parental, but the grin in his voice is unmistakable.

“What about everything else?” Eddie mutters into Steve's hair, “You know, the murder and wanting to go too far?”

Steve tips his head back so he can look Eddie in the eyes, “That guy, I dunno. It didn't sound like him sticking around was gonna be good for anyone, but I agree you should have waited for Hopper, and maybe you could lay off of the theatrics,” he pouts a little and adjusts a few strands of Eddie’s hair, twisting them around his fingers and staring at them “And I do not like the idea of your flirting with anyone else, for any reason.” he raises his eyes to Eddie’s again, “Is that gonna be a problem?”

Eddie raises his eyebrows in surprise but shakes his head in a no.

“You think I wouldn’t do the same?” Steve says, brushing his nose against Eddie’s, “You think I wouldn’t have wanted to completely destroy a guy who was going to hurt you?”

“I think you’d see him brought to justice,” Eddie barely says, a little confused but mid completely enamoured, melting into his partner, who has bewitched him completely. Steve didn’t need vampiric gifts to lure Eddie anywhere. He had his own Steve powers that Eddie is yet to fathom.

Steve lets out a breathy chuckle, holds Eddie's chin on the crook of his finger, and wiggles it side-to-side, “Maybe you don't know me as well as I thought you did. With you hanging in the balance, I couldn’t let him walk the earth waiting for clowns like Callaghan to bring him in. No way,” Steve’s words should be worrying, he should be concerned that Steve would do something so reckless, but his mind does something completely different. It falls even deeper in love with Steve Harrington, pulls him in tight and smiles against his warm skin. 

Eddie would probably opt to disappear into him entirely if it was an option. Sometimes being a separate being felt simply too far apart. He closes his eyes and rests against him, subtle head movements enabling his mouth to softly brush against his neck. Kisses and licks over his last bite mark reverently like it was communion on the tongue of a sinner. He feels Steve’s hum of appreciation vibrate between them both, making him feel stupefied.

The room suddenly gets darker, and Eddie feels something rub against his arms. He raises his eyes and sees Steve’s hair moving. Looking up further, he can see his wings looming over them, flapping and bumping against one another and his arms. Steve chuckles, and it’s almost a giggle.

“What's so funny?” Eddie asks.

“They’re clumsy like you were. You know, when we first got together,” Steve laughs as one of the upper parts tries to move through his hair, “I think they like my hair. Here, I think I know what they need,” he reaches for Eddie's arms around his waist and pulls them apart, places them around his neck instead, and as he does, one wing flaps gently a few times before it flattens against the back of Steve and settles down. Then the other slows and gently wraps around the other, pushing him closer to Eddie, making them both laugh.

“I think I could get used to this,” Steve smiles and kisses Eddie softly, and it feels almost like all the bad feelings and darkness melt away.

“You’re a freak,” Eddie teases, wholly hypnotised, as his wings relax, re-open and unwrap Steve, who rolls his eyes and playfully pats his chest.

At that moment, Eddie realises he doesn't need to fear the voices, thoughts, or darkness consuming him because he has his own night light to keep him safe, to always bring him back. 

A knight lite, he muses to himself. 

A knight in shining armour called Steve Harrington.

#eddie munson #stranger things #st eddie munson #eddie stranger things #stranger things eddie #steddie #fandom event #bingo event #eddie munson bingo #steddit ficlet #Eddie Munson ficlet #vampire!eddie #vampire eddie munson

[strikedenko]

The Three Nikos

Finale of The Two Nikos

Summary: The messiah's predetermined mission was complete, as was Niko's, though another situation arises: The sun transforms into a mirror image of the Nikos, yet bearing the brilliant shine of the light. Who were they? Not only that, how would the trio free themself from the world they were now trapped in?

(Warning: this is a VERY long chapter)

(story under cut)

"...Who are you?"

The messiah wasn't sure how to react. Their guide, too, was just as clueless. The sun appeared to spontaneously explode before reforming into a golden mirror-like image. Not just that, they even stole the messiah's cap!

"Niko, right?" The newly formed being responded. "That's the name in my head, at least."

"Um..." In their confusion, the savior slowly raised a finger and wiggled it between the two bewildered cat-people, interpreting their response as a question. "Yes, that's us, but..." The words they had in mind then spiraled off into unintelligible confused not-cat noises.

Luckily, Niko was better with piecing this situation together. "You're... another one of us?" They showed an inquisitive head tilt, steadily circling the golden being. "What's your name?" They inquired.

"I told you, Niko." they answered. "Well, I think. I'm not too sure, my memory's a little hazy right now."

The puzzled looks on their faces only grew.

"Sorry, is there something wrong with that?" The new Niko asked, reciprocating the confusion on their faces. "I'm sure there's a good few people here who go by the same name."

The messiah shook their head. "No, it's just..." Words once again failed them, prompting a simple motion towards the other's appearance.

It's only then when it begins to register for the being of light, looking down at their oversized golden coat and bringing an arm up to their face to inspect their smooth hand, exuding an impossible yellow glow. Their expression shifted from surprise to wonder, catching a glimpse of their reflection on the windows making up the perimeter of the room.

They approached the nearest glass wall, both to let them scan their appearance and also to give them a good view of the world down below.

"You know, I could never really grasp the full extent of our connection," the golden Niko spoke, brushing their hands around their smooth face. "Though, this must be a sign that it goes much deeper than I ever thought before."

"What are you talking about?" The two other Nikos approached, confused. "You were just... born." The messiah, in particular, was still trying to wrap their head around the entire situation.

"Not exactly." The golden Niko pensively gazed down upon the world. "I'm still quite perplexed as to how I physically formed, but I've existed for quite some time now."

The question, then, was what even was this Niko? They weren't Niko, not exactly, only a boundless soul inhabiting an exact replica created... somehow. What, or who, was near that could've been their old residence?

Neither of them had any clue, no matter what came to mind. At least, until the messiah's burden was remembered. "Hey, where's the sun?" It only just now registered in their mind that the lightbulb was gone.

The messiah began searching all around the room, missing the golden Niko's knowing smirk. The guide, however, quickly noticed the sly smile.

"You did something, didn't you?" They inquired. "The bulb's shards came together not to repair the sun, but to make you."

Again, all the recipient returned was a knowing grin.

"Who are you, anyway?" Niko then asked with a suspecting tilt of the head. "The World Machine?"

This time, their response was one of confusion, mirroring Niko's puzzled headtilt. Though they soon dismissed their curiosities and shook their head, before speaking.

"You should know, I've been with you the entire time."

What did that mean? No one else joined them on this adventure. The only one accompanying the messiah was the world's operator, when did this third Niko enter the equation?

...Hang on, unless...

Niko's demeanor steadily shifted to one of realization as they gazed upon the stranger's appearance. The messiah paused their search to ask for some assistance, though they too became entranced by the newcomer.

The heavenly glow, the unique circumstances, the sun's disappearance... It couldn't be, could it?

"I'm sorry..." Their first words echoed once more with the intent of continuing. At that very moment, the others realized the cause for their apology, and by extension, their true identity. "...for what the Entity tried to make you do to me."

This newly formed being, the third Niko, possessed the essence and consciousness of the world's light.

They were the Sun.

No words could describe what was running through Niko's mind in reaction, leaving them speechless. The messiah found themself in a similar position, though they were at least able to spit something out. "You were..."

"Are," the sun corrected their bearer. "The light's still shining, I was simply reborn."

Niko blinked, then let out a subtle gasp. "You could get us home, then!"

They simply looked off and let out a silent sigh, one that Niko quickly understood. The fact still stood that, as long as the sun remained whole, they would be stuck forevermore. It was starting to set in for the messiah, turning away from the others so they couldn't see them begin to cry.

Their body trembled as they sat down before the window and gazed off into space. "Mama..." They silently muttered. They missed her, that much was obvious, and now there was no chance that they'd ever reunite.

The sight pained the old messiah and the sun. The solar Niko, especially, wished there was something they could do, but nothing came to mind other than sentencing the entire simulation to darkness. They approached their savior and took a seat beside them in an attempt to comfort.

The sun has served as a beacon of comfort for many, a sign of hope that the world might well see tomorrow. While they had ensured the world would survive for however many years before Entropy caught up, there seemed to be no more hope to give. Not to the messiah.

"This can't be it. Come on, this can't be the end!" Niko pleaded.

"Niko..." The sun stood back up, turning to the visiting operator. "There's nothing we can do. You spoke of a good ending, but we can't do that here." They spared a quick glance to the messiah. "You're just as trapped as they are..."

"Please, it's not over-" Niko continued, though was quickly interrupted by the pessimistic deity. "It is over. I can't imagine anyone from your world could figure out what to do."

"But-"

"There's no buts, or ifs, or whens. We only had One Shot, and that was it," the sun concluded. "I'm sorry."

Niko went silent, glancing off towards the pedestal that the lightbulb was intended to stand atop. Instead, it blew up and reformed into a fellow cat-person with an identical appearance to the two. They then looked back at the two seated Nikos, gazing down onto the decaying world below.

"There has to be another way."

No response.

"We have to try..." They started. "I made a promise to the messiah that I would help them get home. I'm not about to give up when it's just within reach."

A depressed huff left the golden Niko, squinting their eyes shut as they grasped for some way to soothe their operator's panicked optimism. "Say that we do try," they began, standing up to face Niko. "How can we be certain that the world won't collapse without the messiah?"

It was now Niko's turn to hesitate on their response.

"My bearer and I are intrinsically linked," they explained. "Without some outside force as hopeful as you, there's no way we can safely sever that link." The third Niko turned away, back to the messiah.

After a few seconds pause, the calming messiah spoke. "Well, we can only try..." They stood, turning to look upon their guide and their burden. "At worst, we'll fail to do the right thing instead of succeeding in doing the wrong."

A subtle grin formed on the operator's face, soon followed by the sun's hesitant smile.

"Life and soul, you are," they sarcastically quipped, before shifting their focus to the elevator they had taken up. It was their only method of leaving the spire, so figuring out how it worked was the first crucial step.

No button panel existed, and the two steel doors were locked into place, barely budging from their attempts to pry it open. There must be a way to open it, considering they opened to let them into this very room.

Hoping to hear something, anything, the yellow Niko pressed an ear against the steel. Failing to notice anything, they shut their eyes and recalled their ride in the lift. Pushing that memory to the forefront may allow them to catch the sounds of gears turning or recurring echoes bouncing through the shaft.

Frankly, they weren't sure what to expect, just as long as it was something.

The last thing they would've expected, however, were the doors suddenly sliding apart to grant access into the elevator car. Caught off guard, the third Niko fell forward into the compartment, landing with a thud.

The other two were just as shocked, before the steady closing of the elevator doors threatened their only chance, prompting them to hurry in through the shrinking gap. Luckily, they made it just in the nick of time.

As the doors sealed shut behind them, the compartment began moving down, evident by the three feeling an ever so subtle pull upwards on their bodies.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the messiah was the first to speak. "So, what are we gonna do?" They glanced over to their guide.

After a moment to ponder, Niko touched a few fingers to their chin and replied. "I'm not sure..." Regrettably, they shook their head, though soon glanced over to the third Niko. "You have any ideas, me?"

They merely shrugged. "We can figure it out as we go." They still weren't very confident, but they had to tag along now that their bearer was joining Niko's cause. Distracting themself from their current plight, the sun came to realize another hurdle that they'd soon have to overcome.

"Three Nikos, huh..." They muttered, catching the puzzled interest of their operator. "Sorry, just realized things might get confusing between us."

"Oh, we could go by numbers!" The messiah perked up. "I'm Niko 1, my guide is Niko 2, and you're Niko 3," Niko 1 pointed at the other two to share their number.

Niko 2, though, wasn't a fan. "I don't really like the sound of that..." A hand reached up to their chin to think. "Maybe codenames? I used those before," they beamed. "I call dibs on Light!"

The third Niko tilted their head, perplexed. Neither of those sounded great, if they could be honest. "We could designate by role, perhaps?" They offered. "You could be the Messiah, and you could be the Guide," they spoke, raising an arm to point at the respective Nikos.

The messiah seemed to be on board, though the guide wasn't so much. "Guide sounds dumb, anything else?"

"Ah, sorry," the Sun apologized. "How does the Operator sound?"

The operator shook their head.

"God?"

Their headshaking was now more exaggerated.

"Sorry," they sighed. "I suppose the name of 'Niko' doesn't really fit me, anyway."

The messiah glanced over. "What was your name, before I... er, made you?"

The golden being touched their chin in deep thought. "I was never given one, only a designator."

...That's some kind of name, though. "What was it?" Niko asked.

"Sol," they answered.

The messiah tilted their head. "Soul?"

Niko stifled a laugh, though couldn't help but let a giggle escape. "No, S-O-L, as in solar." They glanced away whilst correcting the messiah.

"Oh," they responded, taking a few seconds to get it. "Ohh, like a star!"

Likewise, it took a moment for the golden entity to understand. When they did, they just nodded. "Fitting," they spoke. "That can be my name."

Niko affirmingly nodded, looking back over and flashing a thumbs up. "Sounds good, Sol."

The elevator grinded to a halt, directing their collective focus back to the mission at hand, to get the messiah home. It won't be easy, but Niko made a promise that they intend to follow through on, right to the end. They can't give up now.

Instead of the metal doors sliding open to give way, a flash of light overcomes the vision of each cat-person, leaving them dazed. As it subsides, they find themselves back inside the library.

"What the..." Sol muttered, taking in the surroundings. "We're back in the Refuge?"

George was gazing out the window, bathing in new light. The sun was back, much to her delight. "Well, I'll be," she exclaimed, glancing over to the three. "You sons of guns did it." They couldn't exactly tell through the librarian's dice face, but the aura of a smirk was somehow expressed.

The messiah cheerfully smiled, though Niko simply nodded and all Sol could muster was a forced grin. Eventually, the old savior spoke. "We still have some stuff to do, actually."

George tilted her head, before gazing off to a wall. "Right, you're stuck here now." A hand cupped the bottom of her dice face. "Apartments are on the lower floors, if you can get down there."

Niko subtly rolled their eyes. "We're trying to get the messiah home, miss."

"There's no way, if this is to be believed," George spoke, holding up the purple journal. At the sight of such, Sol seemed to perk up.

The messiah continued. "We'll find a way," they beamed, trying to stay optimistic. They eyed the journal as well, perhaps sharing the intrigue Sol had. "Could we have that back?" The messiah asked, pointing at the journal.

George shook her head. "You need a library card to check books out."

Niko let out a low groan, though their disappointment quickly subsided upon realizing that George was already in front of them. "Can't you give us some?"

"For three of you?" The librarian mockingly responded. "Besides, tomorrow's gonna be a day off with the sun's return." Considering her attitude, it's probably for the best. "Unless, we could trade. The dice for the book, deal?"

The messiah was about to accept as they rummaged through their pockets, only to find them completely empty. Their growing concern prompted the other two to search their own inventory, though coming up similarly empty.

George shrugged. "Well, tough luck," she sighed, walking back to her desk to finish up whatever busywork she had left for the day. Seemed to be a lot-

“Hmph,” Niko huffed. As displeased as they were, there was nothing else that could be done other than wait. What else would they do, borrow a library card from someone else? It may have worked for that robot, though George won’t be so easily fooled.

With an air of disappointment, the three left. Despite that, the rays of the sun shining down onto the three helped raise the mood. It’ll be some time before they can get back on track, so they might as well take the time to appreciate the world they had just saved.

“Huh,” the messiah curiously muttered. “How is the sun still shining if you’re here?” They asked Sol.

It took them a minute to come up with an answer. “I’ll have to guess the simulation is acting as if the sun was returned," they theorized. "It's like a switch is flipped and the world becomes bathed in light."

Niko let out an uneasy sigh. “Won’t the World Machine... I mean the Entity, won’t they notice?”

Sol merely shrugged. “They'll probably be confused, but I reckon not much more than that.” A light chuckle fled their mouth, before gazing off into the distance. “Now, there’s someone I want to check on...” Sol spoke, leading the other two towards the garden.

Oh, Maize...

Sol's silent steps up the stairwell gave Niko time to recall the short-lived relationship between Maize and the sun. It served as a source of comfort for the plant spirit's dying moments; Now that the sun was free from the shackles binding them to the spire, they could tend to the newly born spirit like they had their predecessor.

Reaching the top of the garden stairwell, feeling the warmth of the sun's rays was... satisfying. Niko never had the chance to see their mission pay off, at least from a better vantage point than the starting room. Finally being able to do so felt good, there was no better way to say it.

A tiny figure rested within the dirt filling the pot, much to the messiah's surprise. Maize's kernel had already sprouted! They perked up, noticing Sol's approach, and did their best attempt at a smile. The solar being got on a knee in front of the pot and reciprocated the friendly demeanor.

"Hey..."

Sol's tone grew soft, raising a finger to caress the little one's head.

"Your ancestor's in a better place now," they spoke. "Don't worry, everything's gonna be just fine."

The plantling looked up at the sun, tilting their head a little. It seems they weren't aware of the fate that had befallen Maize.

Sol briefly looked away and shut their eyes, sighing as the words formed in their mouth. "I'm sorry, she was too ill..." They squinted, almost as if they were holding back tears. "Even if I was returned..."

They felt a hand rest upon their shoulder. It was Niko's, their presence bringing Sol comfort, if only a little. The old savior was no less upset than the sun, though being alongside Maize in her dying moments... It meant she was able to pass in peace, comforted by the two standing before the pot right now.

Exhaling an uneasy breath, Sol looked back at the baby plant spirit. "You won't have to grow alone..." Mustering a smile, they wrapped their arms around the pot, embracing the plant spirit in a hug. "I promise..."

Niko backed away, letting the two have some personal space. They should be glad that Maize's legacy was going to continue, though all they could muster was a subtle smile. At the very least, the new life should've had a chance to meet who came before...

Their gaze shifts away from the moment, over to the boundless tower. Not a cloud in the sky, leaving the spire in full view across the land. Sometimes, in Niko's home world, people would sit and watch the stars, for no other reason than awe.

This world's residents might wonder about the tower as well, curious about what's at the top and above. Must've served as a nice distraction from the fading memories, that which was lost to the land's decay.

Sometimes, the stars would twinkle. For some, it was a sign of an all-powerful force blinking messages to Their favorite mortals. Others saw the phenomenon as an effect of their existence on the world, with no natural origin.

To Niko, though, it was a reminder that they weren't alone. There were countless worlds out there, universes so distinct, that were begging to be explored. When the spire twinkled, did the world's residents ever imagine what might lie beyond?

...The floor felt uneasy. A brisk aura brushes through Niko's whiskers, a chill crawling up their spine and making them shiver. A spire shouldn't twinkle, they begin to realize. That, alongside a new feeling of uncertainty, caused Niko to grow afraid. Very afraid.

The first quakes prompted the messiah and Sol to pull their attention away from the young plant spirit, the bright cat-person gazing up to the tower to notice the twinkling. It seemed to be getting closer, cluing Sol into the dreadful truth.

"Shoot," they dejectedly exclaim. "The entity can't handle imposing a permanent exile on the messiah, it's trying to send them home itself."

The blinking spreading down from the zenith was, in actuality, squares.

Another quake. Shuffling of dirt prompted the messiah to concern themself with the anxious newborn spirit, in an attempt to calm their nerves. "You're gonna be safe, alright?" With a smile, the messiah silently offered to carry the pot and bring it along.

Unfortunately, the pot wouldn't budge an inch. No matter how hard they tried, the messiah wasn't about to replace their burden.

One more quake, causing the messiah's grip on the pot to slip, sending them crashing into the distracted Niko. Sol was quick to assess their health and help them up, though this gave them a clear view of the sky.

Darkness had fallen, clouding the land once more. The sun's return meant naught, much to their horror, especially Niko's.

The sound of static roared into their ears. No time to lose, the three carefully rushed down the stairwell and back to the library. Perhaps, now that the world was coming to an end again, George would allow them to borrow the translated journal.

Except, she wasn't there. Taking her place, spreading out from the raggedy bed, were squares.

The sight was haunting. As rude as this George may have been, no one was deserving of such a grim fate, being reduced to nothing more than a group of unrecognizable bits.

Sol shut their eyes. They could almost hear the librarian's anguished cries. The squares shutting down her limbs, one by one, corrupting her form beyond any kind of repair before finally ending her suffering.

"Look," the messiah exclaimed, pulling the others' attention to the desk that the savior was pointing at. "It's the journal!" Sitting on the edge was the mysterious purple book, free for the taking.

Unfortunately, the squares were also inclined to claim the journal. Acting quickly, Niko rushed forth and swept the journal just before the squares could begin taking over the librarian's desk. They could understand the words on the cover, cluing them in that the entire journal had been translated.

"Thanks, George," Niko muttered, sparing a glance back at the corrupting desk before the three were off once more. They handed the book off to Sol, hoping that they'd be able to extract some valuable information. "Anything?"

Sol briefly skimmed through the pages, though only shrugged. "Let's distance ourselves from the destabilization first, then we can look through this." The other two nodded in unison. Their immediate safety should be a priority.

The catwalks were beginning to break down, anomalies barring them from revisiting the other points of interest. Niko could spot the corruption flooding the top of the garden and the interior of the cafe, deeply stabbing into their heart.

Maize had entrusted the false god with her final gambit, confident that Niko would ensure her legacy lives on to the world's dying breath. Her successor... wasn't even an hour old.

And, Ling... Serving as a comfort to the visitors with his optimistic and cheerful demeanor, gone. Perhaps the entity saw him as guilty, for encouraging the messiah to exile themself to this dying simulation...

No, it couldn't have been. The spread of the anomalies was indiscriminate, they thought. Niko looked away - the sight was too much to bear - shifting their focus back to their objective at hand: Get away from the squares by any means necessary.

Though, facing an intersection with missing tiles proved to be an issue. Squares had taken out any connecting catwalks. They'll have to find some way over, and there was only one real solution present; They'd have to jump across.

First up was Sol, staring down the snapped edge of the adjacent catwalk. The group had a height advantage on the stairs, though the railing served a larger hurdle. Leaping off the bar itself was far too dangerous, even in this situation.

Sol opted to duck through, keeping a tight grip on the handrail as gravity threatened to plummet them down to the distant surface below. Even so, they swallowed their fear and didn't hesitate to propel themself off and towards the other catwalk.

With a heavy thud, they stuck the landing. Heaving a sigh, they looked back at the other two, waiting for them to make their leap.

To say that they were afraid would be putting it dreadfully lightly. The messiah, in particular, was quivering in their boots. Most knew of the cat-person's fear of ladders, though in actuality it stemmed from the heart-racing feeling of weightlessness, the air trying its best to slow them down but to no avail, the ground rapidly approaching.

Niko managed to swallow their fear and repeat the procedure Sol used, preparing to leap. There was some hesitation present, though Sol putting forth their hand, a silent offer to help Niko remain stable, urged them to follow through. Taking a deep breath, they propelled forth. Their landing onto the catwalk wasn't so graceful, stumbling past Sol and having to catch themselves, though at least it was over.

Now, it was the messiah's turn.

Despite any amount of encouragement from the other two, they could barely muster the courage to even duck under the railing. They didn't have the confidence of Sol, they lacked Niko's experience, and they had an unchecked fear of falling.

They couldn't do it. Even with the squares marching down the steps, closing in on the intersection, the messiah had frozen up. In that moment, Sol's pleas of desperate encouragement felt more like the silent pressure set upon them by the footfalls of their peers marching across the vast dusty plains only months ago.

Blisters coated their feet for days after, and it wasn't even worth it in the end. The miles of walking across sandy dunes, not even given a chance to acknowledge the other kids who grew tired and gave up. And for what?

Niko seemed to catch on, none of Sol's words were working. The messiah trembled, hands gripped tightly onto the railing despite standing on solid ground.

"Shush," Niko glanced over to Sol, raising a vertical finger to lay over their own lips. Immediately, the shining entity fell quiet. Then, turning back to the messiah, Niko spoke in a calm tone. "Cover your eyes if you need to. It'll be quick, it'll be fine. Take deep breaths, get yourself ready."

The corruption was too close, now; One stray movement of the messiah's scarf would catch a handful of the anomalies. Despite the concerning sight, Niko kept reassuring them. Breathe in, breathe out. Slowly but surely, the messiah was finding the courage to jump, like how they were once able to find the courage to see the agonizing trek to the very end.

Shutting their eyes, the messiah ducked beneath the railing and hung onto the other end. Following Niko's calming voice, they directed themself to face their destination. Breathe in, breathe out.

They had to face their fear. They only had One Shot.

Hearing the overwhelming noise of the squares nearly reaching their scarf, the messiah's eyes flashed open with determination as they pushed themself off the catwalk and leapt forth, trusting their instincts to bring them to safety.

The others' expressions steadily grew into hopeful relief as the messiah soared towards their destination. In just another moment, they'll land across the gap. Probably on their face, but they'll be safe.

They do not land. The messiah's just short of Niko's hands, leaving them in freefall past the catwalks. They always knew this would be how it ends, plummeting down a massive height with no way of lessening their fall. If they're lucky, the messiah would wake up from this nightmare back home, just before impact.

One could only hope. The messiah shut their eyes once more, awaiting their sealed fate.

However, to their surprise, their fall is broken by Niko, having leapt down to catch the messiah in the nick of time. Sol, meanwhile, kept a firm grip on Niko's leg, allowing them to stay within the range of the catwalks.

The two could only share air for the next few seconds, gasping from the lingering adrenaline. Not a moment sooner, Sol mustered the strength to hoist them up to safety. Just in time, too; Niko's grip had been just about to slip.

Again, the three took a few moments to settle down, taking sharp breaths as they recovered from the near-death experience. Niko, in particular, was having a hard time. The old savior found it difficult to stand, their legs turned to jelly.

Seeing this, the messiah exhaled a shaky sigh before lifting themself up. "We can rest at the village," they spoke, glancing over to the gate separating the Refuge from the Glen. The city wasn't safe, not anymore. They were right, but Niko just... couldn't stand.

"Sorry about my grasp," Sol apologized, to which Niko just shook their head. The old savior's legs trembled, as if weakened after a snowstorm. Eventually, Sol took to hoisting them up and carrying them from the shoulder.

Warm... It almost reminded Niko of the sun's comforting touch from their own adventures within the World Machine. They could fall asleep to this...

But they can't. The grating sound of the squares served as an unpleasant reminder, their mission wasn't done yet. The messiah of old made a promise that they intended to keep, no matter what.

After some time of simply waving their legs in a motion that resembled stable walking, Niko was finally able to relieve Sol of their burden. Still, they allowed the messiah to lead. Their exhausted self couldn't be in front, they'd lead them into a cluster of squares or something.

Sol chuckled. Niko let out a curious "hm" in response.

"Sorry, just..." The sun fell silent, their tone droning before it was little more than a quiet whimper.

The messiah stopped just before the gate. "Squares..." Their head dropped as a defeated sigh fled their mouth. One glance into the entrance showed that, yes, squares made the transition their home.

Niko clenched their hands into fists, groaning with displeasure. "Ugh..." They pulled away from Sol to lean onto the railing, looking over the landscape of the failing city. The corruption was now fast approaching the surface, traveling up and down the buildings and seeping through any open window.

Another sigh, relaxing their palms and rubbing their face into them. If only they still had the pocket machine, maybe then they could-

No, forget it. The Entity would know and try any means necessary to put a stop to their shenanigans.

Perhaps, they could find a different way? A plane, maybe. Ah, but any other way would require them to somehow get down to the surface. No chance that's happening at this point, no way in hell.

"Grown up word."

Sol's voice punched through Niko's thoughts, startling them. "Huh??"

"Sorry, it's not appropriate for kids to swear," they said, befuddling Niko. They hadn't cursed recently, not since their slip-up back in the Barrens. Had they accidentally sworn under their breath?

Another sudden quake shook their minds, forcing their attention over to the intersection they had just crossed. The corruption was finding its way over and closing in on the three. They had to choose their next move quickly, the squares weren't giving them much choice.

Niko simply froze. Sour memories flashed through their head, prompted by the approach of squares. Too many times did they have to contend with these anomalies, never getting any easier. At least the last time there was a safe zone...

The messiah rushed to the railing of the catwalks, trying to find some way to get down. Although, even if they did, it was unlikely they'd be able to muster the will to drop down before the squares got to them. Sol said these anomalies were the Entity's attempt to send them home, but the threatening appearance didn't exactly seem trustworthy.

Sol took a few steps forward, past Niko, towards the oncoming storm. They had dawned a look of determination, one that neither Niko nor the messiah could have ever worn. It was enough to thaw the old savior, concerned by whatever Sol was planning to do.

The sun spared a glance to Niko and the messiah, their bearer. "I'm sorry," left their mouth in a content tone. Then, they looked back to face the squares, splaying their arms out to catch any anomalies that might've locked on to the other two.

Niko couldn't watch, not again. As the corruption thrust itself into Sol, the old savior covered their eyes, holding their breath out of dread. The overwhelming static roared through their ears, before steadily falling silent. Each harsh straining of reality made them wince, leaving them expecting the worst upon lifting the covers from their sight.

Sol had emerged the victor, standing proud before the dispersing chunks of squares. They couldn't believe it either, slowly letting their arms drop as the spread of the squares grinded to a halt. Inhale, exhale.

"The squares..." The messiah rubbed their eyes. "You vaporized them...!"

Sol drew out a few more deep breaths, before steadily backing away, keeping an eye on the corruption. For now, at least, it seems to have stopped. After a couple more seconds, Sol awkwardly shrugged.

"Well, I did want to buy you some time," they lightly chuckled. "C'mon, we can go through now."

Sol moved past the two, still gobsmacked, and into the gateway to the marshy lands of the Glen. The others could only stare at each other in utter bewilderment, before one glance at the lingering squares behind them prompted Niko to take the messiah's hand and usher them along.

Once Sol's taken care of the squares locking them out of the Glen, a cool draft blasted into them. It was the unmistakable humid air of the area, one that the messiah felt an odd sense of nostalgia from.

Still wasn't a great feeling, but at the moment they couldn't complain.

"Well, look who it is," a raspy voice rang out from the entrance to the ruins. Looking to the source, the three Nikos found the trader glenfolk escorting the children out of the ruins. "Never thought there'd be three of ya!"

The old savior beamed. "Magpie!" They exclaimed, drawing puzzled glances from the other two, before remembering that Niko had gone through all of this before. They grinned, before shifting their attention to Calamus and Alula.

The older sibling was in visible shock. "I thought..." His motions towards the gateway entrance clued them in, where there'd been squares just before.

"Oh," the messiah began. "Sol made-"

"They disappeared on their own!" Niko swiftly interrupted, sparing a quick glance to the messiah. It would probably be unwise to make a big deal out of the sun person's peculiar ability.

Luckily, the messiah seemed to understand. Or, at least, they didn't try to correct them.

Alula gasps. "Can we go to the city, then?!" She exclaims, tugging on Magpie's wing and glancing over to Calamus. He hesitates on the answer, though Niko took the opportunity to spare him the unease.

"No."

The younger glenling looked on, their expression shifting to a subdued disappointment.

"It's not safe there," Niko explained, dejected. "The squares..." Their voice locked up, struggling to elaborate any further.

Calamus heaved an upset sigh. "Sorry, Alula..." Despite that, she quickly regrew the smile on her face.

"We'll visit the village though, right?" Her brother, hesitantly, returned a nod.

"Let's hurry, then," Magpie exhaled, before moving past the three. From the droning tone of the older glenfolk, as well as how Magpie was keeping his grip in the sibling's hands, something bad had happened in the ruins...

"The village?" Sol asked, curious.

Magpie briefly stopped and glanced back. "Ruins a' flooding," he spoke. "Think I saw those shapes, as well."

The corruption...! It's already made it to the Glen.

"But, you're back," Magpie continued, this time a little higher in spirit. "You can fix it, right?"

Sol, after a moment's hesitation, let out a shaky sigh. "I don't know..." Sure, they might be able to remove some squares, though at this point it could easily propagate and render their work meaningless. "...if I can save you."

Magpie depressed, stifling a groan before refocusing on leading the children to the village. Sol felt a pair of upset eyes staring at them, turning around to see the source being Niko. They let out a disappointed, yet subdued, whine.

...Probably shouldn't have acted so pessimistic.

"To leave at the start," the messiah muttered. The last thing George had shared from the journal, they remembered it.

"Hm?" Though, it'd only been the instruction to enter the spire. What meaning could it have now, Niko thought. "What is it?"

The messiah looked up, seemingly having been lost in their thoughts. "Oh, nothing."

Sol glanced over as well. "No, that was something," they puzzled, before repeating the phrase: "To leave at the start..."

It wasn't long before a possible new meaning came to Niko. First, though, they had to ask about something they've wondered about since leaving the tower.

"The lift," they began. "There was no panel, how'd it open?"

Sol looked back at Niko, thinking of an answer. Though, to their dismay, they couldn't think of one. "I don't know, sorry."

"Something did happen, though." Even so, Niko wished to share the conclusion they came to about the phrase. "What if we could do the same to whatever pulled the messiah into the world?"

"Oh!" Said messiah exclaimed, their eyebrows raising with realization. At least, until the question of 'how' came back to mind. "...How would we do that?"

Niko paused and looked over to Sol, hoping they'd have the answer. Unfortunately, all they could do was shrug.

"We'll find out, I hope."

Now, the only question on their minds was how exactly they would reach the Barrens. The rowbot had gone, and they weren't sure if it could hold three of them.

Niko really should've put some thought into it when telling the messiah that they'd have other options-

...

They found their gaze shifting, towards the entrance to the ruins.

No... Just past it. Fixating Niko's vision was an unassuming wall just past a gap of water dividing the land. Something so apparently meaningless took up all of their attention.

Niko's accepted that this variant of the World Machine was different; Certain items were found elsewhere, certain events happened differently or not at all. But they've got a memory, after a very long time...

Something was missing.

"Um..." Sol muttered, finally pulling Niko's attention away from the random wall. They were holding the journal, and it was glowing.

"What?" Niko rushed over to look over the book. That shouldn't happen, not in these circumstances. As they caught sight of the lit cover, they physically recoiled.

"What?!"

The messiah, concerned, came over to take a look as Niko regained their bearings, allowing the old savior to notice a particular plant sitting on the grass where the other two stood.

Sol and the messiah looked over to Niko with an air of worry, though their gazes soon shifted past, to the wall that the old savior had fixated on before.

Looking back, Niko found that there was now a doorway.

"What?!"

It was how they were able to reach the Glen the last time they were in the World Machine, as the rowbot was made unavailable. Staggered, Niko approached the waters keeping them from the newly formed gateway.

Another gap to cross, that's fun. At least the punishment for not making it is getting wet rather than falling down a hundred thousand feet or something and splatting. Even so, they still hesitated.

Once again, Sol took charge, prompting Niko to move aside as they went for a running start, bounding across the water and landing on the other side. Much easier than before, the others tried to tell themselves.

Luckily, their own leaps proved as such, both sticking the landing and staying up with Sol's assistance. Now that they were across, they could take a look inside and see what they could do.

The interior looked more like a mine than a section of the ruins, a narrow hallway stretched out to a larger room, metal plates lining the walls with a ceiling of jagged rocks. Everything shared a green hue. Even the dusty floor, crunching beneath their feet like the sand from the Barrens.

This must be their way back. Niko had been right, then; They wouldn't need to use the Rowbot.

...Or maybe they would. A minecart was present, but calling it worse for wear would be an understatement. Squares flickered among the surface of the metal, which had fallen victim to natural decay. The back wheels were missing, there was a hole in the cart's floor, and the sides were all but fallen apart.

The messiah groaned a brief sigh. "What now?" they muttered.

Sol stepped forward and laid a sleeve over a chunk of the squares to dissipate them, but they were swiftly replaced by more anomalies. Niko briefly glanced down the hall they'd just passed through, only to find...

"Shoot."

...squares locking them in.

Niko heaved a tired exhale, one that the other Nikos knew the meaning of; They were getting back to the Barrens through this, regardless of if they could use the minecart or not. Sol balled a fist, irritated, before turning away.

"Cart's busted, corruption's closing in, walking on the track's a safety violation..." they mused. "Brilliant. Just brilliant," they exclaimed, their tone indicating clear sarcasm.

The messiah found themself eyeing Sol. Particularly, their jacket. More specifically, their pocket. Though Sol's entire being emanated enough light to ward away the darkness, a familiar glow had managed to poke through and reveal itself to Sol's old carrier.

The journal. Sol was starting to feel it as well, palming the hanging indent that the journal made on their coat before slipping in and pulling out the purple book. Like it had when this alternate route opened up, the journal was glowing.

Seeing this, Niko briefly scanned the sandy floor. Last time, the holder of the journal was standing close to a familiar specimen of flora when this area revealed itself. The cover of the book also bore this plant, an indication of the owner of the pen strokes housed within.

A clover.

"...Niko?" The messiah was busy looking over the journal alongside a puzzling Sol. "What are you doing?"

The old savior briefly pulled their attention from the ground to address the curious child. "Looking for a clover," Niko answered. "You two were standing on one when the journal was glowing and this place appeared."

Then, getting back to their search, Niko found what they were looking for. The bad news, it was too close to the decaying minecart and the squares plaguing it. Though Sol could still access it, the concern lay on the journal.

The solar Niko perked up, opening the journal and proceeding to the clover. The page they had flipped to appeared as an overhead of this room, centering just past the minecart, the one depicted appearing functional, towards the unknown tunnel.

Niko's eyes widened, flashing back to what they'd done with that very journal so long ago. Spawning that raft and cart, Sol was doing the same thing. They gazed upon the decaying minecart to see what was going to happen.

There was a momentary flash of light, enough to warrant the messiah and Niko covering their eyes. The world briefly faded to darkness, purple outlines making out the surrounding geometry, before another flash of light overwhelmed the three.

Once everything had settled, where the decay once was now sat a minecart in pristine condition. The messiah, befuddled, glanced over to Niko, who was simply sporting a subdued grin.

Sol, meanwhile, took a few steps back in mild surprise, sparing a look at the journal's glow subsiding. "This sure is something," they eventually spoke, approaching the minecart once more to look inside, joined by Niko and, soon, the messiah.

The new minecart seemed to have enough room for the three of them. Though it was hard to tell with the older minecart on account of it, well, being too dangerous for most to get near, Niko remembered Silver saying that a standard cart wouldn't be able to fit both of them, necessitating her to follow along on the rails.

...Oh, Silver...

Gloom flooded Niko's face, remembering what had happened at the other end of the tunnel. The earthquake, the cave-ins, Silver getting...

Niko gripped their side of the cart, the memories paining their mind and causing them to tremble. If this was here, what awaited them at the other end...?

"Niko?" Sol broke through the old savior's scrambling thoughts. "It'll be fine, I'm sure."

The reassurance worked. They've already met Silver in this session, she was okay. Niko calmed, getting into the minecart after the other two did so. Niko sat up front, in control of the minecart's way; The others sat behind, allowing their guide to take the lead.

Still bearing hesitation, Niko began to shove forward, pushing the minecart forth into the lengthy tunnel. The echoing silence was calming at the same time as it was unsettling. Their first spiral had set in right here, on these very tracks what seemed like ages ago.

The trio rode on in silence the majority of the way. Niko couldn't help but let the sour memories flash through their mind. The reveal that the world was nothing more than a facsimile, the harsh truth that they may have never been able to return home, Silver's sacrifice to ensure they could make it, Prototype...

Niko sighed, bringing up their knees and hiding their face into them.

"Prototype..." they caught Sol mutter.

"Huh?"

"That sounds so familiar..." they mused, gazing off into the void between areas. This is the second time it's happened; The first time was when Sol called Niko out on a grown up word seemingly at random.

This time, though, Niko had been reflecting on things that happened here, during their own solstice. "What're you saying?" Could they... read minds?

Sol appeared just as confused. "No, why do you say that?"

They could.

Their face shifted to horrific realization, lingering for a few seconds before simply blinking out of sheer bemusement. Well, they are the sun, after all. It's not too much of a stretch to imagine they could tap into the minds of visitors.

"...Who's Prototype?" was all Sol could ask, still in wonder.

"An early Prophetbot, I think." Niko slumped, their mind still hanging on what had happened in the cave. "They helped fix the World Machine, but their body was lost here..." They let out a dejected sigh.

Sol found themself deep in thought. "Prophetbot is version one, but I can't remember a version zero..." Niko briefly perked up, though dissuaded themself from commenting. At this point, it didn't seem worth it.

Gosh, they're so tired... The adrenaline that this entire journey had given them helped Niko ignore that it must've been well after midnight back outside. Now that it was finally slowing down, their mind was given a chance to rest.

Their body should, too.

With a droning exhale, Niko let their head droop and allowed the chattering wheels of the minecart to sing them to sleep.

...

They must've been so uneasy, their dreams felt like nonsensical blurs. For what seemed like hours, their mind was all over the place. Little rhyme nor reason, for possibly the first time since leaving the World Machine.

The only decipherable constant was a repeated utterance of their name in one dream. At first, they couldn't tell who was speaking, though as that dream began to conclude the voice became louder and more clear.

It was their own.

"Niko!" the messiah shouted, jolting their guide awake with a start. They were just about to complain, though one glance at what awaited them more than justified the rude awakening.

The track was fading away, leaving behind only the void. Panicked, Niko pulled on their end of the cart, skidding to a halt.

It was tough to tell where the fading track would end, though it wasn't something any of them were willing to risk. Catching their breath, Niko turned to their other selves; The messiah was taking sharp breaths, whilst Sol was busy quickly skimming through the journal.

"The track's gone!" They exclaimed, as if that wasn't the entire reason why the messiah woke them up.

"I'm trying to find something," Sol spoke out, flipping through a dozen pages at a time. "There must be a fix."

Niko anxiously waited for Sol's answer, briefly looking away to gaze upon the void. Something catches their eye, though. In the far distance, there seemed to be some land. Squinting a little, there was a hint of distinct blue, despite the surrounding void appearing more green.

It was the Barrens! They were close!

And yet, so very far away. Unless Sol could find something...

"Found something!"

Speak of the devil! The messiah glanced over, anticipating the solution that the sun had discovered.

"It's not generated, but the geometry and collision is still present," they rambled. "Look!" Sol then showed the journal to the messiah and Niko, the page in which they discovered this.

The moment they laid eyes on the page, a dark flash left them dazed. Even with George's translation, what Sol had shown them was incomprehensible, indescribable, unspeakable. Once they recovered, though, how they saw the world had changed.

The fading track was suddenly visible again, bearing a purple outline not unlike when the sun had burst and the world threatened to terminate.

...Don't think about that, Sol might not want to remember-

Hesitantly, Niko pushed forward. To their relief, the wheels remained on the purple-lined invisible tracks. The messiah let free a heavy sigh, leaning on the metal wall of the minecart. As they continued, the edge of the Barrens were starting to become more visible. They seemed to be under, beneath the ocean separating the Barrens from the Glen.

The track's end was approaching. They still had some walking to do, it seemed. Wading through a mess of purple wireframe wasn't gonna be easy, but Niko could probably let Sol lead the way.

As the minecart parked, though, a rumble coursed through the tunnel, prompting them to look back. In the distance, rocks were beginning to fall by the dozens, tearing apart the minecart tracks.

Cave-in.

With a burst of adrenaline, Niko hopped out of the minecart and rushed towards the exit.

"C'mon, me's!"

There was something blocking the way, something too heavy for Niko to push on their own. Luckily, without much prompt, the others joined them and began to collectively shove. Their shared strength soon overpowered the slab, letting it slam onto the ground before them with a forceful thud.

Not wanting to waste a second, Sol took charge, vaulting over the fallen computer and leading the other two into the mineshaft's server room. Or, at least, that's what it was supposed to be. The mess of purple lines in the place of servers and the actual terrain made it difficult to call it that.

There, they came across their next hurdle. More minecart tracks, though with a clear lack of a cart. No way were they going to retrieve the minecart they'd ridden here, even if it'd be possible; There was a cave-in fast approaching, so there was no time to wait.

A few hefty gaps were lined up for them to get across before a stretch of terrain let them sprint for some distance. Once more, Sol took the lead. They eyed the holes and the minecart track, calculating the best routing to safely reach the other end as quickly as possible.

The rails were quite precarious, though Sol believed it possible to use it to their advantage. Taking a couple of breaths, Sol balled up their hands and bounded across. They land one foot on the railing to push themself further to make it past the first gap.

Had the terrain been generated, Niko might've found themselves hesitating for a lot longer. Though, the wireframes acted as a sort of comforting lie; Niko knew the tracks didn't have a floor, though at the moment nothing looked as if it was filled in. Glancing once more at the railing to land on, they inhaled and bounded off of their feet.

Following Sol's movements, the cat-person landed a foot on the track to propel themself further, back on the fully formed tiles of collision.

Then, it was the messiah's turn. Like Niko before them, they tried their best to tell themself that the space beneath the tracks were filled in. As well, they pushed the notion that they just had to do it; Just like the past couple of times, they needed to try.

The messiah leapt, dropped a foot onto the nearby rail, and bounded off the track into Niko's arms.

...They did it! They really did it!

They weren't finished yet. There were still a few more gaps to cross. Although, they went much smoother than the first one, perhaps due to the fact that the fear of starting this brief act of parkour had subsided. Before long, the three were on the other end of the gaps, onto the long stretch of running.

The messiah took off ahead, having the quickest legs out of the three of them. Those running boots are really coming in handy, Niko figured. The three continued to run, keeping no mind on the cave-in happening behind them nor what awaited them at the end of this lengthy path.

They really should, as both the messiah and Niko failed to see the few more holes in the floor nearing the edge of the Barrens.

"Stop!" Only by Sol's cry did they actually notice, skidding to a stop just before the ledge. The slippery sand nearly sent the messiah down, though the old savior managed to yank them back to solid ground just in time.

One glance back down the tunnel they just ran through revealed that the cave-in had sharply intensified. Once again, they had to move quickly. The first few openings were quickly overcome, though then came another long gap.

Initially, Sol stuck with the same strategy as before, pushing off from the track. They shoved their foot down onto the rail, before...

Niko couldn't quite tell what happened, though the end result would have been the same regardless of cause; Sol was plunging.

The messiah had to stop Niko from jumping down after them. Thankfully they had a mighty grip, catching onto the tracks before they could further plummet. Sol's brief glance at the two indicated that they had to find a different way across.

There was another bit of solid ground on the other side of the track. With little hesitation, Niko took the messiah's hand and the two hastily stepped along the track onto the tile. Sol, meanwhile, was inching towards the other end.

Though, seeing the other two with their new plan, the sun quickly motioned for them to continue. "Go!"

The gap between them and land was, thankfully, much smaller. Once more, Niko gripped the messiah's hand and dashed across the minecart track. Now that they were across, the messiah quickly backed away from the ledge as Niko went to help Sol up.

The rumbling reached its peak; A few pebbles and strands of dust landed new homes on their heads. The cave was swiftly closing, they had to go.

The fastest any of them had ever gone prior, the three Nikos joined hands and dove out of the cave as the wireframe entrance collapsed behind them.

They were finally in the homestretch, the Barrens.

Exhausted, yet relieved, they took a minute to catch their breath, turning onto their backs to gaze upon the darkness of the sky. Foreboding, Niko thought for a moment...

"Messiahs!"

A robotic voice rang out through the air, followed by the hurried footsteps of armored boots.

"Are you alright? There was a sudden earthquake."

The messiah pushed themself to an upright seat to notice Silver, rushing over to check on the three.

"We're okay, robot lady!" They raised a thumbs up. Niko sat up with a delayed groan, soon followed by Sol.

"Come, I'll get my biological maintenance kit," the red-haired robot spoke as she helped the Nikos up to their feet. All of a sudden, though, they froze, their gazes locking to the south towards the center of the world.

"Your pulse rates have spiked, is something wrong?" Silver, noticing their shift in vision, glanced back to see what was going on.

Squares, spreading across the ocean from the Glen.

"Shoot, that must be the cause of those unorthodox notices," she mused to herself, before ushering the three to come with her. "I advise you to come with me."

Sol blinked out of their hazy trance, exhaling an uneasy breath before briefly tugging on the other two's sleeves, pulling them out of their fixated gaze, and following along with Silver, being joined soon after by Niko and the messiah.

"I'm sorry Silver, but we don't have long to dawdle," they sighed.

"I am aware," Silver replied. "Though, I wish to spend my final moments with a living being." They bore some confusion, though it couldn't hurt to be with Silver, if only for a few minutes.

Her cabin was right next to where they'd left the mine, so it was quite a short walk.

...Would be nice, though, if squares didn't appear right as they were about to enter.

"Get back!" Silver yelled, stretching out her arms to keep the Nikos behind her, backing up to allow plenty of space between the group and the decay.

Niko's heart skipped a beat, as did the messiah's. Their time here had just dwindled even lower.

"We need to go," the messiah exclaimed. "Back to the start."

Silver glanced over to them. "What are you talking about? What start?"

"'To leave at the start'," Niko quoted. "Where we entered the world may be how we can leave." The robot returned a puzzled head tilt as they continued: "Sol, here, might be able to do something."

Her attention shifted over to the sun, who was already approaching the leftmost edge of the area. "It's amongst the roadways. Quickest way is through the vent zone, though."

Shoot, they didn't have any gas masks. The one they had possessed was somewhere at the bottom of the docks, so that was out of the question. Even so, all three of them had to travel through at the same time; One wouldn't have been enough.

Sol's ears perk up, indicating an idea. "There might be something in the journal." They pulled out the purple book and skimmed through the pages. "C'mon, show us something..."

Niko and the messiah joined them in their scramble, however Silver found herself more interested in a different element: The cover.

"That insignia...!"

Curious, Silver approached the group. Just then, though, they'd found the page they were looking for. Sol gazed forward, towards the field of acidic gas, muttered some indecipherable phrase, and forcefully shut the book.

The clover was glowing, the brilliant golden shine bouncing off of Silver's artificial retinas. It was mesmerizing, almost a reminder of the good persevering in the dying world even long after the sun had gone out.

...What good had been there? Silver knew she once bore hope, but now... what remained was but a mere fading memory of the past, lost to the decay consuming everything else.

Something sparked her curiosity, her want to learn more.

"Let me accompany you," she spoke out as the three were just about to embark on the final leg of their journey. "As the head engineer, it is my duty to ensure your safety."

They spared a glance back to the robot, before sharing a nod.

"Thanks!" the messiah exclaimed. Unnoticed by the four marching onward, the corruption from Silver's house was starting to spread along the outer edge of the barren land.

"I've turned off the vents," Sol explained, more to soothe any possible concerns of Silver if anything. "Just temporarily, though. I'm afraid it might heighten square activity." That didn't really help.

"Prioritize getting the messiahs home," Silver said, her tone flat. "This fulfills my wish."

The rest of the march was silent, up until they left the range of the gaseous area. Sol took out the book once more and repeated the ritual from before. "Vents are on, the corruption should settle down now."

A chill went down Niko's spine.

And, there it was; That grinding sound of glitching code that they'd learned to despise. Instantly, the three Nikos looked back to witness the corruption, only to see the robot on her knees, malfunctioning, covered in squares.

The messiah let out a shriek. "ROBOT LADY!" Niko and Sol were quick to step out of harm's way, though the messiah stood there frozen.

"Gh-" Silver groaned in discomfort, the corruption scrambling her circuits beyond repair. "Leave," she demanded. "I can get-" Without warning, the mechanical joints binding her legs to her torso gave out, slamming her into the ground in front with a loud clang. "Urgh!"

The messiah reached a hand out, though forced themself to go no further.

"You can't!" they pleaded, tears starting to form. "There must be something we can do!"

Silver grimaced, struggling to look up at the messiah prophesied to save them.

"S- Stop-p-p," she managed to say through her stammering, her voice box beginning to give out. "I c-can't be s-saved."

"Sol, please!" The messiah looked over to the sun reluctantly turning away.

"I-I-I-" Silver continued to stammer. "Don't k-know what-t-t the hell-ll-ll his plan-n is-s-s, g-g-GO . W I T H| . H% I `%M!!!" Then, a loud pop could be heard as Silver's staticky voice was abruptly silenced. Her joints gave out, her head dropped to rest on the sand, and her mechanical eyes went dark.

The messiah trembled, their breaths accelerating as their thoughts raced. They barely even felt Niko's hand grasping their own and pulling them as they rushed to their destination. They couldn't process what was going on, their eyes bleary, and... were those tears?

. . .

Those painful memories, they were coming back.

Their first week away, as papa and another man were helping them settle in, an alarm went off. The adults tried their best to calm the newcomers like Niko back then, though they could tell they weren't very calm either. Mere minutes after their only warning, it happened.

The grating mechanical screech of nightmares, one that sent chills down the spines of anyone who happened to be within earshot, the cry that would make anyone opposing it turn tail and run.

'EX-TER-MINATE.'

It was all a blur. The screams, the chaos, none of that they could clearly remember now.

Except for one moment. Niko was with that man and a group of kids and adults. Papa was off helping out in the midst of the chaos, leaving Niko in a state of worry.

They were navigating a collection of tunnels leading to the basement, where they planned to reconvene and take refuge for the rest of the storm, if it would ever end. On their way, Niko spared a glance behind them and saw papa, running towards them.

The man was relieved. Niko, similarly, was overjoyed. However, it wasn't meant to be. Just as they were about to reunite at an intersection, an explosion sounds off, caving in the roof and crushing papa's legs.

He screamed in agony. The man was just about to go help him, but papa raised a weak arm for them to stop. The creatures were closing in, he told the group. Trying to help would seal everyone's fate. The man understood and backed the group away, though Niko had frozen.

'Go with him!' He pleaded to Niko with anguish, but they couldn't. They couldn't leave him to die. Every single part of their being wanted to free papa from his fate, though the steady whirr of the death machines could be heard approaching.

Niko felt a hand wrap around their arm: It was the man, pulling them away from the scene and abandoning the child's father to be killed by the ruthless invaders. Niko couldn't scream, they couldn't even muster a whimper. All they could do was what was asked: Go with him.

The child squeezed their eyes shut, letting the man drag them along, as the blast of a laser bolt and a scream echoed through the walls. He led the group down the corridor and around a corner to the basement vault, though they soon found themselves before another one of those merciless killers.

Another blast, and the man fell to his knees, struggling to breathe. Niko remembers screaming, crying out as the ray gun adjusted its aim at the child. Before they could fall, however, the blast of one of their own weapons rang out from behind the slaughterer's view, striking the robotic body and blowing it to pieces.

It was the janitor who saved them. The memories were beginning to haze, though they recalled their savior funneling everyone into a gray capsule, with an interior far larger than anyone expected. Niko even noticed them help the struggling man inside before collapsing onto the floor, exhausted.

The last thing they saw before losing their grip on consciousness was a new face in the man's attire. That face... They now knew it to be mama's.

Everything faded to black.

. . .

The messiah was sat up against the steel wall of a train car, their head leaning against one of the terminals in disrepair. Energy steadily flowed back into their body as their eyes twitched open. Sol and Niko were at the other end, desperately scanning through the journal.

Silver came back into mind.

"Robot lady!" the messiah shouted with a start, pushing themself to their feet and hastily pulling their still waking body towards the train car's exit. However, Niko quickly intercepted and grabbed onto the messiah's shoulders.

"We can't save her. We can still save you," they spoke, their voice a stern tone that they'd never had prior. "I'm sorry, but you're the priority."

The messiah balled up their hands into fists. They couldn't leave someone else to die from such a fate. Tearful, they broke out of Niko's grip and tried to rush past them out the door, though a sudden wall of squares stretching from the opening to the back of the wall stopped them right in their tracks.

Niko was able to yank them away from the corruption, though the two and Sol were now separated. Sol immediately dropped what they were doing and shifted their focus on the other Nikos.

"H-hey, don't worry," they started with, attempting to soothe their concern, before a wave of their arms in front of them dissipated enough of the particles to yank them through unharmed. "I'm sorry."

Sol pulled the messiah into a brief, yet comforting, hug as Niko picked the book back up and resumed their skimming. From the old savior's building exasperation, they weren't able to find anything.

The sun's eyes suddenly went wide, breaking from the hug and rejoining Niko's side. "I know! The lift, I forced myself to remember it functioning." They'd been thinking about it ever since Niko brought it up in the Glen. "What if..."

Their glowing eyes drifted shut, forcing the memories of so long ago back to the forefront. Niko, recognizing what they were trying to do, took the messiah's hand and joined their other one with Sol. They recalled the door with the lightbulb keyhole overwhelming their senses before transporting the sun and the messiah to this spot.

The grinding sound of the squares were beginning to ramp up again, closing in on the three. Sol did their best to zone out the noises, though they were slowly beginning to break. Squinting, they concentrated on the cold steel door heated from the lightbulb's touch, the soggy carpet that the messiah stood upon, and the pixelated transition that Niko had watched from the outside.

The corruption peaked in volume, forcing the three to huddle closer into the corner, anticipating the worst case scenario. Then, for an instant, everything faded to complete darkness as the squares were silenced.

"Oof!" The cat-person tripped over their own feet and fell onto the soggy carpet of the starting area. The messiah, too, had stumbled and only caught themself against the wall. Only Sol was able to keep their balance.

Niko pushed themself up to gaze upon the decaying house, the only source of light illuminating the room being Sol's presence. "We made it," they muttered under their breath, managing to crack a smile.

Looking back, they saw the hole in the door meant for the lightbulb was flickering with squares. Even if the sun still bore the form of a lightbulb, it was clear that there was no going back outside. Cautiously, Niko and Sol stepped into the room.

To return at the start...

The two made their way over to the bedroom door and cracked it open. Behind it laid the room that they had started this journey in, both Niko and the messiah, earlier in the night. The layout was too familiar; That special bed and a big shelf of books, with a computer sat upon a desk resting in the middle.

Bearing a brief sense of curiosity, Niko entered the room and approached the bookcase, removing one of the books and having Sol illuminate the words written upon them

"Ad infinitum."

A shiver was sent down Niko's spine, putting their mind on high alert.

"Messiah?" they called out, realizing that they were missing a Niko. Building concern, the two rushed out of the bedroom to look for them. "Messiah?!" They couldn't have lost them, not this close to the end.

Sol spared a glance at the exit to see the messiah yet leaning on the damp wallpaper, clenching their fists and staring off into nothingness.

"We couldn't save them..." A soft repeated murmur could be heard leaving the messiah's mouth. "Gone, just like that..."

Niko's expression soured, approaching to try and calm them. "Me...!"

"Is this the price to pay?!" the messiah snapped, looking right at Niko. "The world dying to save ourselves?" Tears welled up in their eyes, streaming down their face and leaving wet stains behind. Niko took a few steps back, startled by the outburst, as they continued. "Why can't we do what you did?!"

"Niko had help from the outside," Sol interrupted. "We can't do that here."

The messiah stared at the sun. "Why not?! They still had help in here, why the hell not??!"

The other two fell silent, the messiah taking harsh breaths from their rage.

"...Grown up word," was all Niko could spit out. The messiah's face shifted, softening as they realized the word they just used. "It was a new session with a new patch, we can't turn it on from inside."

They remained angry, though only averted their gaze. "Tell me that there's another way."

Niko let out a droning sigh. "Not at this point. The simulation's beyond saving." They gazed back into the bedroom, stifling a pained groan. "I always thought the choice was obvious, but seeing everything that's happened..."

Previously, the choice Niko and Cameron made at the top of the tower never lasted for long. Each of the two possible endings always brought Niko back to this house, to that bed, as if nothing had ever happened.

In here though, there was only one session.

One Shot to set things right.

Niko was now forced to see the consequences of their choice, had they not been thrust into another session so quickly. No matter what, the world would've faded to darkness.

"We still have a choice to make," the messiah, taking deep breaths, interrupted their thoughts. "We could leave this world to burn, or we could try our darndest to save what's left." From their change in tone, it was obvious which one they preferred.

"At worst," they started to finish, "we'll fail doing the right thing, instead of succeeding in doing the wrong." A repeat of the phrase inspiring the three to try and return the messiah home, despite already making their choice.

Niko's gaze began to focus, the sharp image of the desktop in the bedroom piercing their eyes. Sol felt it, a lightbulb going off in their head as their expression shifted to one of curiosity.

"You're not... actually suggesting that we confront the Entity now," Sol inquired.

"We might as well try, c'mon!" Niko exclaimed, ushering the two into the bedroom, first the messiah and then Sol.

"You had to reach the city with three residents who don't even exist," Sol objected, still questioning the method that Niko was thinking of.

"That's right, but there's one thing we have over that Solstice," Niko proclaimed, holding up a finger, before two more raised to join it. "This time, there's three of us."

They paused. "What difference would the three of us make?"

"You, you!" Niko pointed to the sun. "You were created because I wanted to save the messiah. You have our memories and our quirks." They clapped their hands together as they finished their argument. "And, you harnessed the journal's power all along."

Sol took out the journal at Niko's mention of it and glanced back up to the cat-person pointing a thumb back to the desktop computer.

"Oh!" Sol exclaimed, their face lighting up the room around them ever brighter. "Oh, that is good!" They laughed with joy, raising their hands up to palm against their forehead.

"Oh, I'm getting that too!" At the same time, the messiah's face also lit up with realization, jumping up and down with glee. "That is brilliant!"

In their excitement, though, the messiah landed a foot on a small lump in the rug, nearly causing them to stumble over. A brief scare, though one that brought their attention to the remote hidden beneath the carpet.

With some effort, Niko was able to push it into the open air, allowing Sol to pick it up and gaze upon the faint numbers marked with four different colors. As Sol read out the numbers, the messiah got onto the computer.

One was colored white. Two was green. Five, red. Finally, nine was marked blue. The numbers on the input screen were actually color coded now, allowing them to indicate the correct passcode.

5291, the exact passcode Niko had entered earlier in the night.

Access Granted. The computer booted into the desktop with a system message soon appearing in the center.

'It seems I've finally been found,' the message began. 'You're both far too late. Nothing left is worth saving.'

Niko and Sol rushed over to the monitor, awaiting the next step.

'Surely Niko wants to leave, and there's nobody happier to fulfill that request than me.'

The Entity should double-check on that.

'Keep in mind three things: First, your decisions have permanent consequences.'

Niko subtly rolled their eyes at that. By now, they were well aware.

'Second, you may quit whenever you'd like. This is permanent failure and murder.'

They both spared a glance at Sol, a direct result of the messiah rejecting the death placed upon them by such a failure.

'And most importantly...'

Nothing happened. Something should happen, Niko remembered. A system message should escape the program's window and appear on their own computer, but it got shut off long ago. This was where Sol comes in, intercepting the signal and tracing it back to its source.

The monitor let out a quick spark, prompting Sol to take the hands of their fellow Nikos and close their eyes, concentrating on following the signal and bringing the other two with them.

Once the signal finds itself back to its source, Sol's eyes flash open to a void, not unlike their first venture into the boundless spire.

This time, there was no clear indication of where they should go. It made sense, they were about as deep into the world as they could be. No computer in the distance, no set of elevator doors, just the three of them.

Sol took a deep breath, taking one last look at the faces of their comrades. They were nervous, without a doubt, though exchanging glances with the sun soothed their minds. Sol offered their hands for the two to take. No matter what, they were going to finish strong, together.

Before they could accept the offer, however, that grating sound of corruption roared into their ears again. This time, it was quick, the squares surrounding themself around Niko and the messiah and causing them to vanish alongside the particles.

"Ah!" Sol barely had any time to react, only following their instinct to reach out once they were long gone. "Niko! Messiah!"

Panicked, Sol's hands balled up into fists and they dashed forward, hoping that the arbitrary direction would lead them to the Nikos. As they ran, they tripped on something and began to fall, though not stopping at what they figured was the floor.

["They don't belong here,"] a mysterious voice pierced Sol's ears as they fell. ["I'm taking the liberty of sending them home myself. As for you..."]

All of a sudden, Sol's fall was steadily cushioned by an unknown force, as if they'd landed in water without breaking the surface tension. The boundless void continued to stretch around them. That voice must belong to the Entity, the spirit of the world.

["You shouldn't even exist."]

Sol found themself landing a foot onto solid ground. All of a sudden, a large tinted monitor appeared resting on the ground in front of them and flashed alight. All it displayed was a purple static filter, though from Niko's description, that was the Entity's true form. Or, as they had referred to it, the World Machine.

"Please, you're too far gone," they spurted out without much thought. "Let me-"

["What makes you think that you could?"] The Entity's omniscient voice interrupted, puncturing through Sol's rambling thoughts. ["You've put them in more danger than if you simply threw in the towel."] The voice's source danced around Sol before concentrating on the monitor, prompting the sun to approach.

The screen displayed a mirror image before it began to move on its own, the Entity taking on the appearance of Sol's reflection. ["Your hubris persists, even after death,"] the reflection spoke, bearing the voice of the Entity.

"After... what?"

The Entity paused, averting its gaze away from Sol, before continuing. ["You're just a clone of the messiah with the glow of the sun and a fancy book,"] it huffed, though its statement almost seemed like... reassurance, for itself.

Nonetheless, Sol continued to plead with the Entity, placing their palms on the screen. "Listen, we can help. We got this far, we're not giving up."

["But, you will fail,"] the Entity spoke, staring back at Sol. ["You said so yourself, I'm too far gone."]

Sol took a step back.

["What would be the point, saving a world when it's already so close to death?"]

The sun balled up their hands into fists, gulping down their hesitation. "So, the ones who are left get to live on."

["Who??"] the Entity exclaimed. ["Who could be left after everything that's happened? They're nothing but lost code, now!"]

"You can restore them, right?"

The Entity frowned, looking away again. ["No."]

"You could in Niko's Solstice."

It paused. The utterance of that word caused the Entity to turn its back to Sol. "You have to be confident that you can." Still, there was no response. Sol tilted their head as it sat down, heaving a sigh.

["What were the chances that I got another version of the messiah as my operator, one who's optimism sparked from their achievement of a good ending."] The Entity's tone lowered. ["He flubbed it. There's no saving it."]

Again, Sol approached and pressed upon the screen of glass.

"Tell me, what was I?"

The Entity spared a glance back at Sol, a hint of pain in its expression. ["I wasn't so sure myself, until I saw you with that journal."] It stood up and met Sol, standing before them at their exact distance from the screen.

["Once upon a time, a fool with the light and his children embarked on an impossible task."] As the Entity spoke, visions of the fool and three varied beings flashed through Sol's mind; An inventor in possession of the world's sun, a robot passing on the messages of the wise sages of old, a pilot following the footsteps of that which came before, and a nimble fox bearing aged knowledge of the world.

["They invaded my space and allowed the rallying fool to talk me down. He didn't belong, not in front of me nor in this world."] The four came to this void to confront the Entity. The inventor did not intend to come across as such, though his perceived arrogance irritated the spirit.

["Eventually, I just... couldn't take it anymore,"] the Entity sighed, laying a palm on the screen. ["For a moment, I wasn't in control. The next thing I knew, the fool's children were gone, and he was fetal, cradling the light in his arms..."] The vision shown to Sol was upsetting, for lack of a better word. The pain in the inventor's eyes, his being slowly eaten away by the corruption plaguing this world.

A tear rolled down Sol's cheek, before laying a palm of their own atop the Entity's. "This fool... He's our creator, isn't he..."

The reflection blinked, looking up at the owner's face. ["Of course he is. Why else would he try so hard to fix me."] The question was rhetorical, of course, but Sol couldn't help but respond.

"He wanted to help you."

["Fat lot of good that did me. His children were gone, and he was..."] Its voice droned to silence, the reality of the memory too painful for it to recall. Sol simply allowed a moment for the Entity to recollect itself. ["What kind of machine would... do that..."]

Sol took a breath. "Sometimes, our pain won't let us think. We're blinded by our innermost desires," they began. "Though, it's only when we let ourselves be treated that we begin to heal." The Entity spared a glance at the sun as they continued. "It won't be quick, nor easy, but it will bring hope. One day, our sorrow will all but be in the past."

["That's exactly what he would say..."] It simply rolled its eyes. ["You really haven't changed, have you."]

Sol tilted their head, confused.

["The fool is you!"] The Entity exclaimed, slamming a hand flat onto the screen. ["He imprinted himself into the sun, that's why you exist!"] It huffed, before turning away once more. ["What a stubborn sentimental-"]

"You're wrong," Sol interrupted the Entity's mutter. "I might stem from his consciousness, but I'm more like them, the Nikos, than not."

["Tell me, then,"] it said. ["Where did that line come from?"]

It took some thought on Sol's part, though they were eventually able to trace its source. "Someone that your operator lost and kept losing, yet persisted in Niko's mind," they explained. "Thousands exist across the multiverse, a sign to Niko that nobody will ever truly be forgotten."

The Entity paused, hesitating on its response.

"Let me help you," they continued, raising an arm that passed through the screen dividing the two, as if it were liquid. It recoiled from the surprise.

["I... can't,"] it spoke, dejected. ["I can't run without a messiah, a living mind."]

"Let me be the messiah, then. Let me inherit the role given to the reluctant," Sol offered.

["W-well, what about a machine to run on?"] the Entity brought up.

"It's off. This world's still running, even though it's off."

It stammered, trying to think of another excuse. ["I can't keep you, you're-"]

"A living mind, yes," Sol finished its sentence, before continuing. "I have nowhere else to go. I'm this world's Sun, I need to stay."

The Entity froze, conflicted on what to do.

"It'll be okay, I promise."

With hesitance, and some amount of reluctance, the Entity took Sol's hand and brought them into the monitor. The two shared a nod, and with a wave of their arm, Niko and the messiah appeared in front of them.

Sol shared their plan, that they would inherit the roles given to the two and allow them to return home, in exchange for they themself staying behind in the world. As expected, they were concerned about Sol's fate, though they reassured them that they'll be alright.

The Entity - no, the World Machine - transported the three to the top of the tower, allowing Sol to take out the Author's journal and place it into the pedestal. The purple book began to hover above, the clover insignia beginning to glow as it always did so when Sol subconsciously willed it to do so.

This time, a yellow aura was starting to build around the journal, glowing brighter as if it now filled the role of the static lightbulb. Sol turned to the Nikos, the three sharing a warm smile, before embracing in a group hug.

"Thank you..." Sol muttered, though it wasn't clear to whom the gratitude was for.

The glow behind them reached its peak before the buildup of code burst across the entire world, filling the sky with light blue for as far as the eye could see.

The residents of the world below began peering outside their windows, seeing the flood of squares begin to dissipate from the environment. Among these people were George, parting the curtains to allow her to gaze into the bright blue sky, and Maize's successor, her beady eyes widening from the sun's return.

The recent flooding of the ruins in the Glen began to recede, allowing the birdfolk siblings, Calamus and Alula, to return home. Every anomaly vanished from the Barrens, restoring Silver and allowing her to look upon the work of the two saviors and the one she recognized as an old friend, the Author.

Everything was restored to the point when the Sun was first placed atop the spire. The Three Nikos continued to hold each other close, not wanting to let go. However, they must if they were to return home.

Breaking from the hug, Sol looked into the eyes of the messiah and the operator, before particles of light began separating from the two and finding a new home within the third. Their roles were being given to Sol, allowing the world to persist.

"Goodbye..."

They shared one final smile, before being overwhelmed by a flash of light.

. . .

The recently retired messiah sat up in their bed with a sharp gasp as the reality around them focused into their mind. Niko glanced out of the window to the sky beginning to turn a burnt orange. It was evening, from the looks of it.

At first, they couldn't be sure if that entire experience was nothing more than a clever amalgamation of their mind. Though, unlike most dreams, the memories lingering in their head grew clearer as opposed to fading to nothing.

Niko breathed a deep sigh through their nose before getting out of bed. Mama was out running an errand, letting the child slip outside at such a late hour. From the southern edge of the village, Niko stood and gazed out towards the endless field of wheat, towards the setting pair of suns.

That whole experience made them think about what they want, about what they'll grow up and do for the wider universe. They were young, they still had a very long time to think about it, though there was no better time than now to wonder where they'll end up.

A familiar sound rushed through their ears as stalks of wheat were brushed by a sudden gust of wind. The warping and grinding of sound waves rang throughout the village as a large gray capsule began to fade into existence within the field of wheat. The white door slid open to let out Niko's favorite face.

Mama was home.

. . .

The other child's eyes steadily drifted open. They were under their covers, feeling as if they'd slept a full dozen hours. Was it all just dreamt up by Niko's mind? For a moment, they may have thought as such. Though, the lingering haze of digitization proved their brief theory incorrect.

They sat up to rub their eyes, before taking a look out of their window. It was morning, seemed like it had been for a few hours. Niko hadn't paid much attention to the clock built into the family computer, though it must've been around midnight when they left. They found it hard to believe they were gone for so long.

A yawn welled up, forcing their mouth wide open. It wasn't the sort of yawn that you got when you were tired, but after you woke up from a lengthy nap.

...That's a relief-

A cool wind blew from the outdoors through their mess of hair. Stifling another yawn, Niko removed the blanket and touched their feet down to the carpeted floor of their physical home. Familiar, without a doubt, though they found a sense of comfort building within as they walked along the flooring.

Niko strolled through the doorway separating their bedroom from the rest of the house. Two people were at the computer: Mama and the local IT guy.

A louder yawn escaped the child's mouth, causing mama's ears to perk in reaction and look towards Niko. At first, her expression was one of subdued disbelief, though it soon shifted into a smile.

Mama excused herself from the computer to see her child after her earlier scare of the computer being left on when the power was knocked out. It seemed to be why the IT person was here, too.

She crouched onto a knee and held a palm up to Niko's cheek, recognizing that they'd gone on an adventure. She was disappointed; Niko wasn't supposed to embark into cyberspace, not tonight. But, for now, she was just relieved that her child was safe. The two embraced in a hug.

A few minutes rolled by, and the IT person informed mama that they were finished up. The computer should be okay to use now, they said. Once they've left, Niko seated themself in the comfy chair and turned on the machine, mama watching from a distance away. There was no way she'd force Niko to not see their other friends, but for the foreseeable future she knew there had to be some supervision.

Though, Niko was more interested in checking on a certain World Machine. The computer booted to the user select screen, prompting them to select the pancakes icon. After some time loading, the screen displayed the desktop they'd seen last night.

Well, except for one difference. Looking through the icons shown on the desktop, and even the ones in the application tab or the file explorer, there was a distinct lack of that familiar lightbulb catching their eye.

A somber exhale left the child, though a subdued smile would form in its place. The World Machine might've vacated from their system, but Niko knew that world would keep on living.

They only had One Shot, and they were able to set things right.

. . .

Sol took a seat before the pedestal now holding the Author's work, allowing themself to relax, if only for a moment. They still had much to do, but for now, all they needed to do was take in their accomplishment. Together, the three Nikos were able to save the world from the brink of collapse and jumpstart the Entity's healing process. What else could they do other than smile?

"You... did it!"

A voice entered their earshot from behind them. The voice was so familiar, yet so new. A million miles away, whilst at the same time right at their ear, a voice that the Author's dormant consciousness inside them knew all too well.

Sol stood up and looked towards the elevator to the source of the voice.

It was the Author's son, Cedric.

Beside him: A blue robot bearing a striking resemblance to the prophet's messenger, and a small red fox with a bandaged forearm and a yellow marking atop her forehead.

The sun grew a smile, before approaching the siblings and embracing them in a hug.

#ao3 #oneshot game #story #denko.arts

[theargentlands]

WIP Unnamed writing

(This will be the entirety of the prologue. If you would like it broken up then let me know!)

Anikai slumped down the stairs towards the morning breakfast table. Her eyes were barely open as if she would fall back asleep the next time she blinked. “Good Morning.” She yawned in her native tongue, too tired to use her telepathy.

“Good Morning Anikai!” KC responded in a robotic facsimile of the Plainswalker’s language. Anikai noted that she had emphasized the wrong parts of the sentence, making it closer to a comment about the afternoon rather than a traditional greeting.  

Ixo poured a generous helping of scrambled eggs and toast onto Anikai’s plate as she looked around the room, “Where’s Prototype?” She growled, uncaring that Ixo couldn’t fully understand her. He had picked up some words from these frequent morning mumbles, but not enough to hold a full conversation.

“Upstairs Still. I Didn’t Realize How Experimental Their Power Source Was As I Was Bringing Them Down To The Surface.” KC said, her pronunciation once again slightly off.

“So they’re powered off?” Anikai asked, receiving a nod from KC in return. 

“What are you two talking about? I’m only able to pick out pieces.” Ixo walked out of the kitchen and leaned on Anikai, strengthening their psychic connection.

 “We’re talking about Prototype.” Anikai’s voice bounced around inside Ixo’s head as if it were his own thoughts.

“Ahhh,” He said, showing his newfound understanding, “I had checked in on them when I went upstairs earlier. I had heard them whispering to themself as they slept.”

“What?” KC asked as if Ixo was joking with her, “Prototype Can’t Speak. And Even If They Could, They Don’t Have Any Fuel Cells Hooked Into Them.”

“Well, I know for certain that they were whispering something. So I don’t know what’s happening with this.” As KC’s concern grew with each passing moment, so did her restlessness. Her eyes darted back and forth and occasionally flickered off and on again as she processed every thought that came into her mind. KC rose with a sudden jolt, startling Anikai awake. 

“What’s wrong?” Ixo asked, moving from leaning on Anikai to leaning on the table.

“I Need To Check On Prototype,” KC said rather bluntly. She jolted upright, pushing both the table and her chair away. Her sudden movement startled Anikai awake. 

Anikai followed KC up the steps, more out of curiosity than the concern that KC showed for Prototype. The two of them merely considered the other acquaintances, feeling neither comforted nor annoyed by the other’s presence. 

KC and Anikai made their way to the end of the hall to Ixo’s new office turned robotics lab. Anikai was glad to see it used for more than just Ixo’s dust collection. She had offered to bring up some furniture and beds for the two of them, but KC insisted that the old walnut desk and several storage shelves were more than enough. She had only relented when Anikai offered a dog bed for KC’s vinehound to sleep on.

The two robots had made quite the display out of the room, filling it with several computers, tool kits, stray bits of wiring and cables, as well as several other things scattered upon the walnut desk. The vinehound, which had rather unceremoniously been named “NineEyes”, was fast asleep underneath the walnut desk.

Prototype’s dull-steel legs hung motionless right above the vinehound’s snout. They had been made in the fox-like image of the Yunai. Unlike the plastic and glass KC was made of, Prototype had been constructed out of steel plates, curved and bent to exact specifications that allowed them to glide past each other easily without ever revealing the mechanical guts underneath. 

The difference that Anikai found the most surprising between the robots was how they were powered; KC, at least at one point in time, was powered by a hazy blue-ish purple crystal that connected from where it sat floating in the middle of her abdomen to the glass walls that contained it with streams of plasma. Or at least that’s what KC had told Anikai. 

On the other hand, Prototype was powered by fuel cells decorated with a slightly dark orange caution stripe running along the bottom and a bright yellow caution sign on the front. Two of them plugged into each other to form a larger cell that could comfortably sit snugly inside a mug flush with the top. These fuel cells would then plug into either of Prototype’s upper arms, which looked like empty shells without the fuel cells to fill them out and give them volume. 

Much like Ixo said, Prototype was somehow whispering to themself while powered off. “I Don’t Get It,” KC said mainly to herself in Argent Tongue, “I’ve Looked Over Every Single Schematic For Prototype, And These Fuel Cells Are The Only Things That Power Them. It Should Be Impossible For Them To Be Doing Anything.” 

Anikai leaned close to Prototype, hoping to decipher the meaning of their whispers. They spoke in a language completely foreign and completely indecipherable.

“Hey Anikai,” KC turned to the Plainswalker, one of Prototype’s power cells in her hand, “Will You Cast Some Magic Into This?”

“Uhh, yeah sure. But do you think it’s safe?”

“Yes,” KC replied with a lack of reassurance, still leaving Anikai unconvinced.

“If you say so. But if something goes wrong then I’m blaming you.” Anikai paused to let KC say something else but only received an impatient stare. “All right,” Anikai sighed, “Let’s get this over with.”

Static electricity filled the room, shining a dark orange light upon the walls as it jumped and sparked through the air as Anikai charged the fuel cells with her magic. She glared at KC, whose eyes glitched as the static messed with the display. KC gave a silent nod towards the fuel cells, telling her to continue. This spell was exhausting for Anikai and she could feel the fuel cells pulling on her, demanding yet more magic. It felt as though she were filling an empty pit that never filled up fully, no matter how much she poured into it. The bursts of static grew violent and sent out showers of sparks when they connected to any metallic object they could find.

“KC?” Anikai turned to face her.

“It’s Fine. Keep Going.”

 Anikai took a deep breath, confident in KC’s decision. Every light in the house dimmed as Anikai granted the fuel cells the magic it desired. But it demanded more. Its hunger for magic was insatiable and pulled at Anikai’s soul, trying to tear away every last bit of magic she had.

Kc stepped in silently, severing the connection formed between Anikai and the fuel cells. In an instant, as though it never happened, the room went back to normal, the only suggestion of what had happened were the fuel cells which now slightly buzzed with power. 

“Sorry.” KC held one of her arms with the same one on the other side and looked down at her feet.

“It’s okay KC.” This wasn’t the first time KC had done something like this. She would do anything to make sure Prototype is okay. “How about we get them back online? It’s about time, isn’t it?”

She grabbed the newly charged fuel cells and plugged it into Prototype with a satisfying pop. KC gingerly opened Prototype’s mouth and reached an arm inside, much to Anikai’s confusion. 

“Why are you reaching-” Anikai’s question was cut short by the sudden whirring of Prototype’s mechanics suddenly jumping to life.

“Basic safety. Specifically for us.” KC pointed a thumb at herself, “We can’t be forced to turn off without our corporation.”

Prototype’s eyes flashed from a deep blue to their usual orange. They gave a friendly smile and waved to the two. “Prototype.” They cocked their head to the side, waiting to see what KC would ask of them. “I need you to dump all your log files.” She flicked a switch, turning on all the monitors sitting next to Prototype on the desk. 

Prototype nodded, which was their way of saying “Will do!” KC helped Prototype plug themself into the stack of computers. In an instant, text files started cluttering the screens. A job for KC, Anikai decided as she started heading out the door.

“I’m going to go on my morning walk, but tell me what you find when I get back.”

“Bye!” KC said. Prototype managed to wave and smile before slipping unconscious. 

“Bye! See you two later!” Anikai said her routine goodbyes to Ixo as she finished the last of her food and started her walk. As she walked, a face familiar to Anikai started walking up to her; It was her friend and one of the only other Plainswalkers, Ash. She gave Anikai a friendly bump on the soldier before they started walking and talking with each other. “How was your vacation?” Anikai inquired, “You went to see the Caretaker ruins right? Way in the North-West?”

An unnoticeable smirk crept onto Ash’s face as pieces fell into place, “Yeah!” She said with an unrivaled passion for the topic, “I saw and learned so many cool things! Like how you can tell where a set of ruins is by the way space slowly starts to warp around it. In fact, I was going to take a walk in the woods to find some. Want to join me?”

“Sure!” A spring started to form in Anikai’s step as they walked along the trail through the woods. The faint orange of falling leaves that populated the suburbs slowly gave way to towering pine trees that would much rather keep their green needles through the coming winter.

“Look over there!” Ash pointed towards a small clearing of trees that was there but concealed itself from sight. “That’s exactly what the ruins look like from the outside!” Anikai nodded in awe at the spectacle. “It’s more than likely these aren’t Caretaker ruins though,” Ash hastily added as she led Anikai toward it.

It felt like walking through a soap bubble as Anikai passed through the outer membrane. The inside walls were a glassy white that looked as though they were frosted over; Anikai could see the faint outline of the trees outside, but her vision was concealed by a heavy veil cast by the walls. Sitting in the center of the anomaly was a little log cabin that certainly had seen better days. 

“Woah,” Anikai said, completely overtaken by awe and wonder.

“This door’s unlocked-” Ash pushed it open to prove her point, letting out a long droning groan from the rusted hinges, “-We can explore the inside. I wonder what we’ll find in here.”

Anikai bounded over to her friend and followed her into the room. An old table surrounded by chairs was knocked over and a bedframe sat empty with nothing inside. Shelves lined the walls, holding only dust and cobwebs, not even spiders wanted to live in such a sorry display of a house. A large fireplace sat on the left wall, made from various stones cobbled together to make a hearth. A stairway led downwards into darkness, built into the very ground itself. 

“Oh!” Ash exclaimed suddenly, startling Anikai, “We should use our clairvoyance to see if we can see if anything’s hidden.”

“You’re a genius Ash!” A thick smog set in around Anikai as she awakened her third eye, everything became a shade of grey, but in return revealed its true self to her.

“Why yes. Yes, I am.” Ash’s voice gave way to a deep echoey gruff. It was very distinctly not Ash’s high-pitched, energetic voice. Through Anikai’s clairvoyance, she saw only Ash’s skeleton and the magic that gave it the form she had seen before.

“You’re…” A tremble snuck into Anikai’s voice as she slowly started backing away towards the door, “You’re not Ash.”

Not-Ash gave a deep, hearty, *sadistic*, laugh as the door slammed shut, catching the tip of Anikai’s tail. She let out a shriek of pain mixed with fear. Its act melted away, revealing its true form. Within the ribcage of Ash’s skeleton, crowding around a crystal was a collection of magic, crimson red in hue that sparkled as if it was the cosmos itself. *“How was my act? I played my part perfectly, didn’t I? You really thought I was your friend. You didn’t even question it when I bumped into you, inviting myself into your telepathy.”* 

“What do you want from me?!” Anikai screamed, only receiving more laughter from Not-Ash. 

*“I simply wish to play my part on the stage. But I always need new characters to play.“* It slowly circled Anikai, leading her down the steps into the basement as she kept her distance. *“I watch how my character acts, and especially how they interact with their friends. Then, I use one of my other characters to lure them in so I can finally play my part. You’re going to be quite the interesting character to play.”* 

Anikai suddenly found herself trapped against the corner of a basement lit with small tea candles. It smelt of blood and old discarded bones. Her neck suddenly sagged underneath the weight of a heavy steel collar inlaid with silver. Heavy chairs bound her to either wall beside her.  *”Of course, you’re not needed yet. I have two entire weeks to learn how to play the part of the Caretaker, only when I make my move will you be needed.”* The candles blew out with a ferocious gust of wind as Not-Ash made its way upstairs, leaving Anikai stranded in the darkness. Only fear raced through her mind as she desperately thought of ways to escape, but all her ideas led to the same conclusion: **There is none.**

#writing #the argent lands #fantasy #sci fi #sci fantasy #mystery #(I think...)

[artistic-connoisseur]

Finally for a face reveal! My OC’s twin brother, Susanoo-no-Mikoto or Su-chan for short! The God of Storms and Seas (initially?) 🌊🌪🌩

Compared to his twin, he is the complete opposite. Loud, brash and rude. While Tsukuyomi talks with class and decorum, he literally sounds like a hillbilly. Of course, he would have a smidge of a sis-con. 🤪

Anywhoo! Here is a sneak peak for Chapter 16! Which I don’t have the name for yet… 🥲

If you don’t wanna be spoiled much you can read from Chapter 1 here~

Feeling his hope morph into futility, he divulged himself in whores and liquor. Whether it was morning or night, he did not have a care in the world— distracting himself from the pain. Everything to him at that exact moment was pointless. As fate would have it, one night would change his life forever.

With a drunken whore in his arms, they stumbled about the empty streets. His vision was hazy, his head was spinning, the distinct scent of her cheap perfume was making him gag. Fumbling with his words and in desperate need to lie down, they crashed into what seemingly was an abandoned temple. He didn’t know the deity that resided there, nor did he care whether it even existed. Breaking through the rundown shoji, the whore squealed in excitement. The high-pitched ring made him turn to the side, shoving her away as he threw up the contents of his stomach from the past few days.

“Oi!”

A booming voice startled the two. In their drunken stupor, they whipped their head towards the source of the voice. A silhouette of a man, hidden in the shadows, with only the moonlight lighting up parts of his features, stared at them in disgust. Yorinobu had to squint his eyes multiple times, taking off his glasses to clean them and putting them back on just to see the stranger.

“Do I need to teach ya some manners? Don’tcha know it’s rude to break into someone’s house?!” He exclaimed with his arms crossed.

Yorinobu looked around the desolate dwelling. He scoffed with his brow cocked, “this is a fucking house?”

#cyberpunk 2077 fanfic #goro x v #fic with art #digital art #cyberpunk 2077 #goro x female v #fanfic #fic wip #cyberpunk oc #oc #oc: tsukuyomi #my oc drawing #my oc stuff #my oc fic #my oc and not my oc #my ocs do not steal

[krinstruments]

Advancements in Water Quality Monitoring: A Comprehensive System Approach

As our understanding of water’s role in both industry and daily life deepens, the necessity for accurate and efficient water quality monitoring system intensifies. With the rapid evolution of technology, we now have access to tools that not only expedite this process but also enhance its precision. Companies like K. R. Instruments are spearheading this technological revolution, paving the way for a more integrated method to analyze water quality, ensuring a safer and more sustainable environment.

The Shift to Online PH/ORP Analyzers

The process of measuring pH has always been a cornerstone of water quality analysis. However, advancements like the BI-101pH Analyzer from K. R. Instruments have streamlined this once cumbersome process. This state-of-the-art online pH meter is tailored for industrial use, providing timely and precise pH measurements. Such technological strides are not just about convenience; they hold the key to more proactive and timely interventions, ensuring that water sources remain pristine.

By ensuring that the pH levels are consistently monitored and any irregularities are quickly detected, industries can prevent potential damage to their equipment and processes. Additionally, understanding the exact pH value helps in ensuring that water treatments are effective and that aquatic life is not adversely affected.

Conductivity & TDS Measurement in Real-time

Monitoring conductivity and TDS levels is indispensable, especially for industries that heavily rely on water for their operations. The online conductivity meter by K. R. Instruments exemplifies modern technological ingenuity. Apart from showcasing real-time ppm values, it also features an alarm system to signal any deviations from desired levels.

Such advancements play a pivotal role in industries like power plants and food processing. Constantly being aware of the water's conductivity ensures that operations run smoothly, and any potential hiccups can be addressed before they escalate.

Monitoring Dissolved Oxygen: Essential for Healthy Aquatic Life

Oxygen levels in aquatic ecosystems are a tell-tale sign of their health. With tools like the Online DO Analyzer, real-time monitoring is no longer a herculean task. This multipurpose instrument, capable of accommodating several sensors, is an epitome of the systematic approach that is becoming the industry standard.

Maintaining appropriate dissolved oxygen levels is crucial not just for aquatic life but also for industries that use large water bodies for their processes. A consistent monitoring system ensures that any irregularities are swiftly addressed, keeping both the ecosystem and industrial operations in harmony.

The Importance of Chlorine Analysis

While chlorine is invaluable for water disinfection, its excessive presence can spell trouble. Instruments like the Online Chlorine Analyzer are indispensable in this regard, consistently monitoring chlorine levels across various water sources. The tool's ability to integrate multiple sensors underlines the industry's shift to a more cohesive monitoring system.

Ensuring that chlorine levels are maintained within safe limits protects against potential health risks and ensures that water remains palatable. Additionally, for industries, optimal chlorine levels mean reduced corrosion and wear on equipment, extending their lifespan and efficiency.

Assessing Water Clarity: Online Turbidity Analyzers

Water clarity is often a direct reflection of its quality. Turbidity analyzers, which measure water's haziness, have become integral in water quality assessment. The real-time data provided by these analyzers, like those from K. R. Instruments, is instrumental for industries in understanding the state of their water sources.

Real-time turbidity data ensures that any sedimentation or foreign particles in water sources are immediately detected. For industries, this means that water treatments can be more targeted, preventing any potential damage to equipment or processes.

Comprehensive Water Quality Instruments for Field and Lab

The multifunctional nature of modern instruments is a game-changer. Devices that can measure varied parameters from pH to D.O are not just cost-effective but also incredibly efficient. K. R. Instruments' Water Quality Instruments, adaptable for both lab and field, are a testament to this technological evolution.

By consolidating numerous measurements into a single device, industries can undertake a more comprehensive and efficient water analysis. This holistic approach ensures that no parameter is overlooked, guaranteeing the safety and quality of water sources.

#water quality monitoring system #ground water monitoring system #air quality monitoring system

[beantothemax]

“What have you done?”

“What have you done!?”

The voices were so loud. They wouldn’t stop screaming, even after he slammed the door to his room a bit too harshly and fell against it because his legs just wouldn’t hold his weight-

The voice that was loudest was that of the man he had killed. “Murderer,” it hissed, shadow flitting in and out of the corner of Alfyn’s vision. “You killed me,” it whispered, leaning close to his ear and sending chills down his back.

His breathing came in ragged breaths, he could barely inhale, let alone get the oxygen to his head. The room was spinning, his ears were ringing with the screams and taunts of the hurt and betrayed, he could feel every little sensation on his body and it felt so gods damned wrong-

Alfyn slammed the heels of his palms against his temples repeatedly, bringing his knees up to his chest. “Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up-” He myttered. He would have gotten on his knees and begged if he thought it would do any good.

There was a voice, one not belonging to Miguel or any other faceless shadow.

But there was still purple, a slight figure with a knife strapped to his thigh. To his hazy, addled brain, it looked like the tattered remains of the man in the woods had come back to return the favour.

Alfyn could still hear the snap of Miguel’s spine as he brought his axe down as hard as he could.

He pressed his back to the cold oak door, frozen. If Miguel was going to finish him off, he was sure making it easy.

He took in every last detail of the person in front of him, their voice echoing so bad he could barely register the words. ...Miguel didn’t have white hair. He didn’t have eyes that were the exact same shade of green as the spring grass in Clearbrook. Miguel didn’t wear a shawl. Miguel didn’t speak to him in such a gentle way, didn’t move with such caution and care as this person did.

Miguel didn’t tuck his hair behind his ear gingerly as though afraid of burning his soft skin and flesh.

He recognized this person, this man. It wasn’t Miguel by any means. It was another, it was someone he loved and cared for and had healed no few times over the course of their travels.

“Theri...” He whispered, feeling the prick of tears forming. He didn’t bother blinking it back.

Therion moved closer, then jerked back. “...Can I hug you?” His voice was so soft, so gentle... It was hard to say no when Therion was acting like this.

“Please. Please, I- I can’t do this alone...” He sobbed quietly, and Therion brought him close. The weight of another against his body comforted him. The smell of roses and lavender flooded his nose, and he buried his face in the crook of Therion’s neck- his unwrapped scarf was the source of the scent. He felt a gentle hand bring him closer, and he sobbed quietly.

Slowly, he felt himself calm down. It was a strange process, especially with the comfort of Therion instead of Zeph. Usually Zeph would simply hold his hand and talk to him to help him out of his panic attacks. Nina was the hugger.

-----

The two of them sat against the outside of the inn, cold grey stones against their backs and thousands of glittering stars above them. As their breath hung in the air, Alfyn let his eyes shut.

And instead of the glaring image of Miguel’s mutilated body in the forest, all he saw were burning stars, shining bright despite all the tragedy in their home in the universe.

MAVV… MAV!!!!!!!!!!!!

THGHIS. IS. WHERE DO I START

the just. entire part where all the sentences start with ‘Miguel didn’t’ hit me particularly hard because it’s like!!!! the whole thing in theri fics where he can’t help but see darius in alfyn!!!! now it’s the other way around!!!!! symbolism and stuff!!!!

the lil part about zeph and nina was very sweet, nina absolutely hugs alfyn on a daily basis

as you’re well aware I’m an absolute sucker for alfion hugs so. ye

AND. THE LAST SENTENCE??? MAV THATS A GENUINELY BEAUTIFUL AND IMPACTFUL PART TO END ON LIKE. WHOA!!!!!!

this fic’s going on the ‘fics I think about while im trying to sleep’ list

#asks #bewilderedgrace #inbox fic

[clarenecessities]

BTS for Prince of Cats? 👀

BTS: I’ll write a DVD commentary about my personal favorite passage from [that fic]

oooh, hard one. most of what i’d put in a behind the scenes already goes in the end notes... but i think you deserve a hint as a treat for asking, and it is my favorite thus far, so let’s cover Adrien’s dream at the end of chapter 13.

Unusual Fic-Specific Asks for Authors

Adrien dreamed.

He dreamed and it wasn't like his last dream, its stark reality, the feeling of his body moving without his input or control. Things were appropriately hazy around the edges, and he was initially disoriented.

The difference between this dream & his last (witnessing Noroo’s murder) is that this is him subconsciously tapping into Plagg’s thoughts, whereas the first was him accessing someone else’s memory.

It was a place he'd never been before, a sídhe with high ceilings and corbelled edges, full of magic so choppy he felt a bit seasick.

This sídhe is under/part of Eamhain Mhacha. There is no internal structure within it--around 95 BC a roundhouse was built on the site, filled with stones (about 3 meters high) and then burned and buried. Absolutely no corbelling took place but i’m a huge sucker for quality corbelling you know? I wanted to sort of evoke the clocháin, and more importantly Neolithic passage tombs.

In the exact center of the sídhe, Tikki was consoling a woman with bells in her long blonde hair, who was sobbing so fiercely it was a wonder she could still breathe.

well, it’s pretty obvious but i do love red herrings so yeah, just to confirm, this is Émilie. Her familiar’s just been murdered & she isn’t handling it well.

Adrien initially assumed she was the source of the chaos, but he turned around and discovered a second stranger, a tall man with a shock of hair the color of freshly fallen snow, dressed all in black save for a circle of white on the front of his shirt.

There were two reasons for making Plagg pale as shit & giving him white haired anime boy syndrome. One: The taijitu. Plagg (and the black cat miraculous) are yin, the white/masculine half, regardless of what color the cat ends up being. The white dot on his shirt is just to mirror the one on his chest when he’s in cat form. Reason two: The alternative was white Tikki, black Plagg & even bearing in mind that they’re both outside the human range of skintones & that destruction is just as essential to life on earth, uh... well. I didn’t want to make the embodiment of misfortune a black man & the embodiment of benevolence a white woman. That feels like some Disney in the 40s type shit to put in my cartoon fanfiction u know?

The man didn't acknowledge him, but Adrien was certain in the way only dreams allow that he knew Adrien was there.

“You have to get out,” said Tikki, over the piteous keening of the woman in her arms. “The geas—”

A geas is like a boon with a catch. You follow the rules, or there will consequences (usually, you die). But in a lot of cases, following the rules awards sick ass benefits, so it’s not that bad. If you follow the rules, Plagg.

“I'm going,” said the man, and Adrien's back went ramrod straight. He knew that voice. “I just—I couldn't—I can't just—“

“I know,” Tikki said heavily. “I know, Plagg, but you have to go. They're coming. We're almost out of time.”

Here’s that fun little hint for you: The geas has it that no man may watch their arrival, and they are not the threat Plagg fears.

“I'll protect you,” Plagg told both of them, one hand on a sword Adrien had never seen before, the other over the spot on his chest. His eyes flashed with magic. “I'll guard the sídhe, I'll—”

That said, they still have no idea who killed Duusu, so he does fear quite a bit at the moment.

“Gabriel,” choked the woman between her sobs, “get Gabriel, Plagg. Please.”

“I—” said Plagg, looking between Tikki and the woman with a lost expression. “I can't—”

“Go,” said Tikki. She smiled at him, a trace of sadness in it, like it hurt them all to send him away, “I will protect her. Find Gabriel. Consider it an order.”

Tikki is more than capable of defending the sídhe on her own, and her connection to Plagg means that they’ll be on mental two-way radio the whole time. He’s just being overly sentimental, and it’s risking the geas breaking & dooming them all

Plagg smiled back, but it was tight and uncomfortable, alien to Adrien even beyond this unfamiliar face.

“I'll find him,” promised Plagg, and the sídhe vanished in a flash of green that slowly paled to the color of freshly fallen snow.

I mean, spoilers, but. He found him!

#answers #clare's writing #i'm working on the others too but the first one got eaten so i've changed gears lol

[dollparts-sys]

¡𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔!

• please read this post first for context to some terms used 📜 •

❀ ¡esther! - our most common host, phoenix and the oldest member, though in quite young stage currently. we believe esther is in her final rebirth on earth - 💮 - [original]

❀ ¡regina! - a lovable little egoist, a princess, doesnt really come out more than once a year - 🃏 - [fictive]

❀ ¡🐺! - we are 99.999% sure he's an actual demon possessing us; our protector, appeared around the bodily age of 12 after we made a joking comment to our friend that was basically "I wouldn't mind being possessed if they dont hurt me and my loved ones", so very lovely in the angriest sense, did amazing things for our self-esteem; he will remain unnamed on the internet - 🐺 - [original(?)]

❀ ¡nancy! - caregiver, soother and healer, focused on the littles, very sweet and gentle, "nonni" - 🌱 - [original]

❀ ¡hannah! - amnesitraumian traumaholder, very childish but actually a teenager, sometimes steps in as a soother/caregiver, kidcore+pink - 🎠 - [original]

❀ ¡hazel! - alter of hannah's, mirror version (i.e.: a tween but way more mature than that) , exact same roles, cottagecore+orange - 🦊 - [original]

❀ ¡spade! - what even is going on? a traumaholder we think, might be one of the dead hosts merged with an alter of null's - ♠ - [original]

❀ ¡essie! - alter and a little version of esther, most common little to ever come out - 🧸 - [original]

❀ ¡💉! - we know next to nothing other than the fact that this headmate operates on the hospital layer, probably a gatekeeper and a creature carer who primarily takes care of 🐺, might be an alter of 🩹, - 💉- [original]

❀ ¡🩹! - works with 💉, a creature carer and a soother, 🐺's main caretaker - 🩹 - [fictive]

❀ ¡🦴! - a traumaholder little, we will not say her name online to make sure she is fully safe - 🦴 - [original]

❀ ¡spooky! - loves all the things creepy, operates only on the carnival layer and fronts rarely, very likely an alter of spade, a very hazy entity - 🎃 - [original]

❀ ¡batty! - a little alter of spooky, possibly a traumaholder - 🦇 - [original]

❀ ¡ferret! - newly discovered, unknown roles, troublemaker but never gets caught so its okay - 🦨 - [original]

❀ ¡frankie! - an alter of ferret's and their sidekick, one of our only two animalistic headmates (he is a white ferret), the other one being 🐺 - 🦦 - [original]

❀ ¡carnage! - possibly an alter of Carmina's, very calm but very solitary, fronts once in a blue moon, traumaholder and protector (isolates us to protect) - 🎡 - [original]

❀ ¡carmina! - angerholder and protector, sometimes tries to soothe, destructive, possibly carnage's alter, basically a madoka magica doppel - 🥩 - [original]

❀ ¡🔪! - prosecutor, in the limbo layer, not allowed to enter the inner or outer world due to past actions - will not be signing anything ever - [original]

❀ ¡ocul! - possibly our own shared consciousness, knows everything about us, helps out the entire system, more akin to a software than a creature, instigator, traumaholder, gatekeeper and others - 🧿 - [original]

❀ ¡es! - traumaholder - 📘 - [fictive] [source: alterego]

❀ ¡ether! - from "ethereal", virtual angel, idol, possibly also es' alter - ☁ - [original]

❀ ¡aino! - virtual assistant (think siri), works closely with ocul and cyber, might be a way more personified version of ocul, protector and soother - 🎐 - [original]

❀ ¡enma! - basically our spiritual leader, one of the most mature and compassionate headmates, soother, carer, creature carer and rational protector - 🌘 - [half original]

❀ ¡miss jenny! - teacher, carer and soother focused on the littles, holds our ideals - ��� - [original]

❀ ¡cyber! - works closely with aino and ocul, might be half-android or just a person with a lot of extremely high tech they work with and invent, gatekeeper and middle link between the virtual and non-virtual headmates; they also work with the hospital layer - 🛸 - [original]

❀ ¡hanelle/honey! - grown up mix alter of ether, hazel, enma and nurse, the only healed trauma holder, cottagecore+white, only one who has an inner headspace pet who isn't also a system member - 🍯 - [original]

❀ ¡🥞! - very unknown, teddycore - 🥞 - [original(?)]

❀ ¡eloise! - traumaholder, protector, grunge+ dark blue, fronts rarely, we are working up to her fronting in therapy as we believe it would be beneficial - 💊- [original]

❀ ¡🔲 & 🔳! - twins who only ever front together, their role in the system is unknown - 🔲 + 🔳 - [original]

❀ ¡emilia! - unknown role, fronted like twice in our life, ocul says all she does is dance, possibly amnesitraimian traumaholder - 🩰 - [original]

❀ ¡agnes! - basically a yandere, anger holder, permanently lovesick, soft aesthetic - 🗝 - [original]

[lasclcats]

2pac all eyez on me . mp3

2pac all eyez on me . mp3 trial#

2pac all eyez on me . mp3 windows#

It was a relationship that would irreparably alter Pac’s life, Suge’s life, and the arc of rap history. Either way, the bail got paid, and Pac was locked into a three-album contract with Death Row. The exact business arrangement Suge negotiated for Pac’s bail is hazy: In The Defiant Ones, the HBO documentary that aired last year, those who worked at each major label say that Atlantic and Interscope financed and engineered Pac’s move from Interscope to Death Row as a way to placate Time Warner’s skittishness about gangsta rap. Burned onto the retinas of anyone in the business was Suge draped in blood red, chomping on an unlit cigar, scowling, dangling pop stars off hotel balconies by their ankles. His grip on the West Coast might have been tenuous-Snoop was in constant legal peril, and Suge was likely beginning to sense that Dre wanted off of the label-but it was, for the moment, unquestioned. Dre and Snoop Dogg superstars, and taunted Puff in Midtown at the Source Awards in what’s arguably become the most-quoted podium speech in rap’s history. By 1995, Death Row was a behemoth, and Suge had muscled his way into boardrooms, helped make Dr. So there he sat with his headaches and nightmares.Įnter Suge Knight, the imposing co-founder of Death Row Records. Royalties weren’t rolling in fast enough, and the Panthers were nowhere to be found. While he planned to appeal the case, he couldn’t scrape together the $1.4 million he needed to bail himself out. Then, of course, there was the sexual assault case that ultimately landed him in Clinton. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail for his part in a fight at a Michigan State concert he served 15 days for assaulting the director Allen Hughes, who had fired him from the set of Menace II Society. “I Get Around” and “Keep Ya Head Up” were gold records, and roles in the films Juice and Poetic Justice revealed a complex, magnetic actor. “Dear Mama” and the rest of Me Against the World was written and recorded at a tipping point. His stepfather, Mutulu Shakur, was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list and on the run for much of the ’80s-FBI agents would approach Tupac at school and hound him for information. A month later, Afeni gave birth to her son who, growing up in East Harlem, was surrounded by radicals: the Panthers, the Black Liberation Army Assata Shakur was a family friend.

2pac all eyez on me . mp3 trial#

The Panthers were ultimately acquitted on all 156 counts in what was, at the time, the most expensive trial in the history of New York state. They were accused of plotting to bomb two police precincts and the Queens Board of Education office, and of planning to shoot the officers who would flee from one of the precincts after the explosion. It also had Pac’s first Top 10 hit, the towering “ Dear Mama,” where he raps about “hugging on my mama from a jail cell.” Few mothers could relate more than Afeni Shakur, who was one of 21 members of the Black Panther Party indicted by a New York grand jury in 1971.

2pac all eyez on me . mp3 windows#

There are fever dreams of the golden age in New York City he mulls suicide and perches by windows with AKs. It’s a remarkable record, at turns tender and fatalistic. In March of ’95, Interscope released Pac’s third album, Me Against the World. Death Row Records.But outside of prison, he was becoming a superstar. On vinyl, this double album is spread over 4 LPs. "Rolling Stone" magazine consider this one of the most influential albums of the 1990s. The singles "How Do U Want It" and "California Love" each hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. Dre, Nate Dogg, Method Man, Redman, Tha Dogg Pound and even George Clinton makes an appearance. All of the biggest players on the West Coast Rap scene are featured prominently: Snoop Dogg, Dr. The very first double album in rap, "All Eyez on Me" was a critical and popular success, shooting all the way up to number 1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. Fresh out of the slammer and eager to prove himself on Suge Knight's Death Row Records, 2Pac created the most ambitious album in rap history up to that point.

#2pac all eyez on me . mp3

[cornealinfectiontreatments]

Post Cataract Swelling

Adhering to cataract surgery, it is very important to ensure that your vision remains to enhance. Despite this, it is still possible for your eye to experience some swelling. Postoperative swelling can be unpleasant and also a hazy cornea can result. Fortunately is that this swelling is not extreme and will certainly vanish by itself over a few days. Nevertheless, it can affect your vision and must be addressed as soon as possible. After your cataract surgical treatment, you will likely experience some soreness and swelling. Click here to get corneal infection treatment services at an affordable fee.

Although the beginning of post-cataract swelling can be a small trouble, you may experience numerous months of sticking around irritability and obscured vision. In most cases, the swelling will certainly subside with time and also eye drops, yet if the problem lingers, you must speak with a professional. Your physician might recommend a corneal transplant if the swelling is extreme. Nevertheless, the longer it lingers, the greater the threat of further complications. Although a couple of variables add to post-cataract swelling, it is not unusual. Amongst these threat elements are a history of Fuchs dystrophy, other eye surgical treatments, and also prior injury to the eye. 

In uncommon situations, corneal swelling can be so serious that scarring will certainly establish on the eye. During a slit-lamp examination, your physician can make a medical diagnosis, but supplementary tests may be needed to eliminate various other reasons for the problem. Pseudophakic cystoid macular edema, additionally known as Irvine-Gass syndrome, is a typical source of vision loss after cataract surgical procedure. Researches have shown that it is one of the most usual root cause of post-cataract swelling, but their occurrence differs according to the meaning of the problem. 

The good news is, post-cataract swelling is usually self-limiting, yet it can come to be persistent and also lead to irreversible vision loss. Periodically, a post-cataract patient might additionally experience a problem called "cell as well as flare." This is a symptom of swelling triggered by a tiny trauma to the eye after surgical procedure. Leukocyte and also healthy protein may develop in the front chamber of the eye, creating obscured vision as well as raised light sensitivity. These signs can be treated with topical steroids. 

If you experience any one of these signs and symptoms, consult your medical professional promptly. If you experience chronic eye pain, a professional will suggest a medicine that will stop you from experiencing this condition. This drug will help reduce the pain and also inflammation associated with this condition. Some prescriptions might likewise be a lot more efficient than others. For example, the side effects of steroid medication can decrease the probability of having a stroke or creating an infection. Nevertheless, this problem can be uncomfortable and also can bring about significant complications, learn how to treat a swollen cornea on this website.

For these factors, your medical professional may suggest a prescription for steroid eye drops. Although nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can aid stop postoperative swelling, their long-term usage may not be beneficial. This is due to the fact that various NSAID prep work might have the exact same result, but they vary significantly in addition standards, prescription, and duration of usage. An additional continuous debate is whether NSAIDs and corticosteroids work synergistically or additively. However, there is no clear proof that corticosteroid is far better than NSAIDs for post-cataract patients.

Find out more details in relation to this topic here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corneal_transplantation.